


Patched Up

by Joycee



Series: Hospital 'Verse [3]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Anal Sex, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexuality, Cancer, Gunshot Wounds, Hospitals, Kidnapping, M/M, Nurses & Nursing, Surgery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-06-10 06:12:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6943051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joycee/pseuds/Joycee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Student nurse Neal Caffrey and chief resident Dr. Peter Burke continue to be lovers while they work on the Oncology service at the hospital. Intern Dr. Clinton Jones shares their concern that attending physician Dr. Curtis Hagan is doing unnecessary surgery on their sick patients. Neal is jealous of new young med student Scott Rivers.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chief resident Peter Burke and student nurse Neal Caffrey walked down the hall of the Oncology floor together in serious discussion regarding their latest admission, Raquel Laroque. Neal suggested, "Ten to one Dr. Hagen will find a reason to operate on her."

"What are you talking about? Operate on her for what? She already has a diagnosis of carcinoma and there is no surgical cure for her condition," Peter rebuffed him.

"You just watch. He will find some excuse. Curtis Hagen never met a patient he didn't want to operate on," insisted Neal. "What do you want to bet?"

"I'd rather bet that we can both get out of here by dinner time this evening and get through an entire meal without being called about a patient," proposed Peter.

"You're on," Neal accepted. "You are the one who's likely to spoil it, so how about if you pay the bill if it doesn't work out? I'll pick up the check if it does."

"Ooh, big talker," Peter teased. "Okay, that sounds fair. Let's do it."

"What are you going to do?" asked staff nurse Lauren Cruz, as they approached the Nurses Station. "You two are always up to something."

Neal took the opportunity to ask her, "What do you think the chances are that Dr. Hagen will operate on our new patient?"

"For what? She doesn't have a surgical problem, does she?" Lauren countered.

"When has that ever slowed him down?" chimed in intern Dr. Clinton Jones. "That man loves to cut people!"

"Are you saying he performs unnecessary surgery?" worried Lauren. "That's just not right. Why would he do that?"

_"Money, money, money, mon-ey,"_ Clinton sang softly. Neal joined him singing out, _"Monn-eyyy!"_

Everyone laughed uncomfortably at their little impromptu performance of the popular song. No one wanted to believe that any doctor would perform unnecessary surgery on a patient just to make more money, though.

Everyone quieted and struggled to look busy as Dr. Reese Hughes, head of the Oncology service, walked up. He greeted them drily, "Hello all. Nice to see that no one is slacking off on the job. Our patients need our serious attention. Isn't that right, Mr. Caffrey?"

Neal responded nervously, "Oh yes, sir. Yes, it certainly is."

Lauren sniggered and Jones winked at him as she added, "Nobody understands that better than student nurse Neal Caffey."

Peter came to his rescue, addressing Hughes, "Sir, I wonder if you'd like to examine our patient Amy Harris with me? She has an interesting case of thyroid cancer."

"Ah yes," Hughes agreed. "Has Cutter Hagan seen her yet? I asked him to consult because I'm not sure if she will need surgery or not."

"Cutter, sir?" Peter asked, suppressing a grin and not daring to look towards Neal.

"Oh, that's our old nickname for Curtis from back in med school. He always did love to cut. He used to say, 'A chance to cut is a chance to cure. If it's in, cut it out; if it's out, cut off'." Hughes chuckled.

As they walked off towards the patient's room, the rest of the crowd at the Nurses Station, burst into giggles. Clinton Jones repeated, "A chance to cut is a chance to cure - and to profit, I always say."

Neal protested with heartbreaking sincerity, "But it really isn't funny. Nobody should have surgery unless they really need it, especially our vulnerable cancer patients."

Cruz smiled, "Hey, you don't have to take on every windmill you see, Don Quixote. Give it a rest and do your own job."

Neal gasped, "Oh, that reminds me, Ms. Berrigan will be here soon for my case report on my patient, Alan Woodford, and I haven't finished taking his history and examining him! I've got to get going."

Jones observed fondly, "That boy's heart is in the right place, but he's got to get a better grip on his emotions if he's ever going to make it as an oncology nurse."

Cruz replied, "I wonder if he'll ever get over the death of his lovely Kate. That's such a romantic story."

"Oh, I think Dr. Burke, our chief resident, is helping him to move on these days," Jones said with a little leer.

A young man in a white coat sat at the desk quietly perusing a patient's medical records. His green eyed, blond haired good looks rivaled Neal's blue eyed, dark haired attractiveness and he was about the same age. He eavesdropped quietly on the gossip, trying not to show his interest. 

Dr. Jones looked over at him and asked, "Scott, I mean Dr. Rivers, are you ready to make rounds with me?"

The young man hopped up from his seat and followed Jones down the hall. Head nurse Sara Ellis watched Lauren Cruz's obvious interest in the young med student with amusement. She teased, "Are you in love again, Cruz?"

Lauren sighed, "I could be, if he ever showed any interest in me. New medical students are such fun! Unfortunately, they have so little time for dating and there's a lot of competition around."

Sara smiled at her sympathetically, "Don't give up so easily. He sure seems nice so far."

Neal was in Alan Woodford's room completing his questions for the case study he was writing on him. Woodford was an interesting patient since he had a lethal melanoma skin cancer on the bottom of his foot. At the time he received his diagnosis, the lesion had been removed with a wide excision, but the malignancy had already spread to his lymph nodes.

Neal liked the serious healthy looking middle aged businessman and felt sorry that he had a very poor prognosis. Woodford calmly and patiently answered all of Neal's questions. He commented, "I know this is a teaching hospital, but I didn't really expect to have a nursing student and a medical student assigned to me."

"Usually that doesn't happen, but you have an unusual and interesting case, so I guess that's why. I hope you don't mind," Neal apologized. "I know we can be kind of a nuisance."

"Not at all," the weary patient assured him. "I enjoy the attention. It helps keep my mind off of my troubles. Otherwise, I just sit here and worry."

"Do you have any pain?" Neal inquired. "Your incision site appears to be healing well."

"No, that's the thing. My foot is a little sore from the surgery now, but the lesion never hurt at all. That's why I didn't discover it for so long," explained Woodford. "I don't feel sick at all. Maybe a little more tired than usual, but that's all."

Neal pointed out gently, "You'll probably be feeling pretty sick from your chemo treatments soon, I'm sorry to say. We'll do everything we can to help you through it, though."

Ms. Diana Berrigan, Neal's nursing instructor met him at the Nurses Station and went over the case with him. She warned, "This patient is probably going to need a lot of care and support for the next few weeks, Neal."

"I realize that, but I believe I can handle it," Neal promised. He knew he had earned a reputation for getting too emotionally involved with his patients and he was determined to show how professional he could be.

That night over dinner, Neal explained to Peter, "The leukemia cases are the hardest for for me since they remind me so much of Kate and everything we went through together before she died."

Peter reminded him, "That was what inspired you to study to become a nurse, Neal."

Neal agreed, "I know. It's just that sometimes it all comes back to me and it's kind of overwhelming."

Peter gave him a fond smile and assured, "No one is trying to tell you not to care, buddy. We just don't want you to burn out, especially when you are just starting out."

The two were splitting a bottle of good French wine and toward the end of their meal, Neal was feeling it's effects. He confided to Peter, "You know I'm kind of ashamed to admit it, but I feel a little jealous of the new med student. You know, we are both assigned to Alan Woodford, the malignant melanoma case."

"Scott Rivers? Really? He kind of reminds me of you," Peter expressed his surprise. "I don't know why you should feel threatened by him."

"Oh, I know. Maybe when I get to know him, I'll feel better it about it," Neal admitted. He paused and swirled the last of his wine around the bottom the glass. Then he continued, "Peter? I'm still jealous of Elizabeth, too."

"Oh Neal, she's jealous of you, too. She broke our engagement so I could explore my feelings about you," reproached Peter.

"I know and I'm grateful for that, but Peter, you still spend every other weekend with her," Neal pouted.

Peter asked quietly, "Don't you think that's only fair, Neal? I think she's being very generous."

"I know...but Peter?" Neal pursued, "Do you still make love to her?"

"Neal, I don't think that's a fair question. She and I don't discuss my sex life with you," Peter protested.

"It's not that. It's just, well, you haven't technically made love to me yet. I mean not, well, you know," Neal said uncomfortably.

Peter blushed and asked, "Is that something you want? We've never talked about that."

"Let's go home and talk about it in the bedroom right now, okay?" grinned Neal.


	2. Chapter 2

Neal and Peter tried to restrain their passion during the cab ride from the restaurant and then scrambled up the stairs to Neal's rooms on the top floor of the Ellington mansion. When the door closed behind them, they embraced and kissed enthusiastically. They shed their clothing without breaking contact. 

Neal's eyes sparkled with anticipation as he led Peter to the bed and pushed him onto it. He opened a bedside drawer and produced a pack of condoms and a tube of lube. Peter chuckled and commented, "I see you're prepared. How long have you been planning this?"

"I would say hoping, more than planning," corrected Neal playfully. "Are you ready?"

Peter growled, "I think the question is, are you ready, lover." He sat up and put his arms around Neal and asked seriously, "Really Neal, are you sure? Have you ever done this before?"

"Not really," Neal admitted. "Matthew and I tried it once but it didn't go well. But I didn't love him. It will be different for us. I really do want it. Want you inside me."

Peter deferred, "Well, okay. I want it, too, but we'll just take it slow. Okay?"

Neal nodded and melded his body into Peter's, engaging him in a long sensuous kiss. Peter groaned, "Oh, you are so sexy."

They continued to excite each other until they were both throbbing and copiously dripping precum from their rigid cocks. Peter realized they would come soon if he didn't do something, so he pulled back and felt around for the lube. When he found it, he flipped Neal onto his stomach and lavished the silky substance on his crack and his hole. 

Neal found the condoms and squirmed around to slip one onto Peter. He raised and flexed his legs, presenting Peter with an irresistible target. Peter gently probed him with his index finger. Neal moaned as he accepted it and Peter added his middle finger. He scissored and then flexed the digits. 

When he struck Neal's prostate, his young lover crowed with delight and lifted his pretty ass up off of the mattress. Peter carefully inserted three fingers and then pressed the head of his warm wet cock up against the receptive opening. When he tried to push further in though, Neal resisted and withdrew a little bit.

Peter soothed him, "Take it easy. Nice and easy now, remember? Do you want me to prep you a little more?" 

Neal bit his lip and shook his head. He mumbled, "No, keep going. I'm okay. It just surprised me. It'll be okay, really."

Peter rubbed a little more lube into him and tried again. This time Neal clenched down and scooted back. He cried, "I'm sorry, Peter. I just, I don't know, I can't...."

Peter stroked his chest and shoulders and asked solicitously, "Are you scared, lover? I promise I'll be gentle."

Neal nodded and Peter could see he had tears in his eyes. He ran his finger along Neal's crack, then reached up and stroked Neal's flagging erection. He said, "It's okay. I don't want to force you."

Neal flexed up and wrapped his arms around Peter. He kissed his neck and apologized, "Maybe I do need a little more time. Do you think we could just be together tonight? I'll give you a wonderful blow job."

Peter smiled and stripped off the condom. He proposed, "How about if we give each blow jobs?"

Neal enthusiastically got into position and they sucked and teased and rubbed each other to nearly simultaneous satisfying orgasms. As they lay together perfectly relaxed afterward, Neal apologized again, suggesting, "I think I was just too tired tonight. I really do want you to fuck me, Peter. We can try again. Next time, I'll be ready. I'm sure."

Peter ran his hands lightly over the sculpted muscles of Neal's back. He answered sleepily, "I'm completely happy. We really don't ever have to do anything more than this, but if you want to, when you think you are ready, we can try again. Not tonight, though."

Both exhausted men fell asleep, comfortable in each other's arms. When Peter woke up, Neal was already in the shower. He bustled around the kitchen preparing a delicious breakfast for them while Peter showered and dressed.

After they ate, Neal came up behind Peter's chair, put his arms around Peter's shoulders, and kissed the top of his head. He asked wistfully, "Do you still love me anyway?"

Peter turned around to look at him tenderly and assured, "Of course. Nothing has changed. It was my fault. I didn't give you enough time and preparation. You weren't ready."

"No, no, I wanted to. I really did, but I just couldn't do it," Neal said, looking ashamed.

Peter comforted him, "Look at me, Neal. Everything is fine. Okay? Don't worry, lover."

Neal lowered his eyes and murmured as he kissed Peter sweetly, "I want to be your lover so much."

Peter scraped his chair back and said cheerfully, "Come on. Let's go to work. I believe I won our bet last night! We got through dinner and a whole evening away from the hospital."

Neal laughed, "I'm going to pay up, too. You'll see!

When they got back to the Oncology floor at the hospital, the pair were greeted by nurse Lauren Cruz who told them, "Well, Dr. Hagan took Raquel Laroque down for surgery this morning. Neal was right."

"But what for?" wondered Peter. "What procedure is he performing? She didn't need surgery."

"Exploratory Investigation of Malignancy," Lauren shrugged. "That's what it said on her forms."

"Did she consent to the surgery?" asked Neal. "What about Dr. Fowler? He's her attending physician. Did he okay this?"

Medical student Scott Rivers walked over and asked curiously, "What's everyone so excited about? Don't cancer patients have surgery all the time?"

Neal gave the handsome young man a dismissive look and replied, "Only when they need it. Usually. At least until recently."

Peter cautioned, "Calm down, Neal. We don't know the whole story yet. Let's get a little more information before we make a judgment."

Neal retorted, "Go ahead. You look into it. I'm going to check on my other patients."

Dr. Clinton Jones was standing there listening to the commotion. Scott turned to him and asked, "What's the big deal? Anyway, Neal Caffrey is just a student nurse, isn't he?"

Jones replied with a twinkle in his dark eyes, "Neal Caffrey isn't JUST anything! You'll find that out soon enough."


	3. Chapter 3

Raquel Laroque, a sultry thrtyish brunette with stomach cancer, returned from surgery after a couple of hours. She was uncomfortable and her dressing was soaking through with blood. Neal rushed to get her shots for pain and nausea. Then he carefully reinforced her dressing, since it was too soon to change it.

Raquel looked at him through grateful dark brown eyes and squeezed his hand. With some effort, she asked hoarsely, "Did the operation go okay? Did Dr. Hagan find anything?"

Neal avoided her eyes and replied, "It's too soon to know, but I'll check for you. We can talk about it then."

His patient nodded wearily and closed her eyes. Neal left her positioned on her side and propped with pillows. He decided to check if she had any family waiting for her, but he didn't find anyone.

When he passed the Nurses Station, Dr. Jones stopped him. "Hey, Caffrey, how's Ms. Laroque doing post op? Did you know that Amy Harris is on the schedule for the OR tomorrow morning?"

"Hmm, I guess Dr. Hagan convinced Dr. Hughes that he could help her," Neal shrugged. "Ms. Laroque is nauseated and in pain and losing blood. I hope her operation was worth what she's going through."

"Do you know what they found?" Jones asked curiously, but Neal couldn't give him an answer.

Neal offered, "I guess I'd better go prep Ms. Harris for tomorrow then. Do you know if she's signed the consent forms yet?"

"No, but I'm sure a little pre-op teaching would be appropriate," Jones offered. "See if you can get a feel for how well she understands the procedure she is scheduled for and what she expects it to accomplish, will you?"

Neal nodded, "I will. Sometimes it seems to me like Dr. Hagan is a little glib and overly optimistic when he convinces patients to let him operate."

Ms. Harris was a honey blonde with a fresh girl-next-door look and manner. Neal found her personality very appealing. He gave her a charming smile and good naturedly bowed and kissed her hand. He joked "Nurse Neal at your service, ma'am. Your wish is my command."

Amy giggled and admitted, "You're the most fun person here. Everyone else, except for you and Dr. Hagan, seems so grim."

Neal winked, "I'm only nice to special patients that I really like. How has your day been going? Can I get anything for you?"

"A drink of water, please," she asked nicely. "Did anyone tell you that I'm going to have surgery again tomorrow?"

"Yes, Dr. Jones mentioned it to me. Does Dr. Hagan believe he can remove more cancer?" Neal guessed.

"He's going to biopsy my lymph nodes and remove the ones that he can," Amy explained.

"Did he go over the risks and benefits with you?" Neal inquired. "If you like, I have a good drawing of the anatomy of the throat that I can show you so you can picture the procedure."

"Yes, I would like to see that. Do you think I'm making the right decision, Neal?" she wondered. "Dr. Hughes seemed to think radiation might be effective, but Dr. Hagan said I could still do that if I need to."

"Well, yes, that's true and you probably will need it in addition to the surgery anyway. It is unlikely that Dr. Hagan will be able to excise all your malignant nodes. The procedure may be somewhat disfiguring, too," pointed out Neal. "Did he discuss that with you?"

Amy nodded and tears filled her eyes. She took Neal's hand and admitted, "I don't really know what to do. I'm scared. I want to beat this cancer. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Of course you do, and you should," Neal affirmed supportively. "Amy, do you have any family that you can talk over these decisions with?"

"I have a mother and father, and a sister, but they live in Ohio. I told them they didn't need to come until I got out of the hospital. I'll need their help after I go home," she explained.

"Can you talk to them on the phone? You can ask the docs to speak to them by telephone, too," Neal encouraged.

"Sure, but they don't know any more than I do about what to do and they're terribly worried," Amy told him. "I have a friend from work, but she has a some weird natural medicine ideas. She means well, but I guess I don't trust her judgment."

"It sounds like you're feeling kind of alone with this, aren't you?" Neal sympathized.

Amy nodded, "I really am. What would you do if you were me, Neal? I trust you."

"I appreciate the faith you have in me and I really want the best for you, Amy. All I can do, though, is give you information so you can make an educated decision. I'll be here to help you, whatever you decide," Neal promised sincerely.

"But do you think the surgery is a mistake?" she anguished. "I just don't know what to do."

"That's really not something I can give you an opinion about, but let me get the anatomical chart and let's go over the procedure together. Maybe that will help you," Neal offered. "I have to check on another patient now. After that, I'll come back and sit down with you and we'll talk it over. Okay?"

Amy nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Neal. I think I'll try to nap until you get back."

Neal found med student Scott Rivers in Alan Woodford's room. He stopped and said, "Sorry to interrupt. I just need to get Mr. Woodford's vitals and check his wound."

Scott acquiesced, "Sure. Then would you meet me at the Nurses Station? I'd like to compare notes to be sure we're on the same page here."

Woodson chuckled amiably, "Hey, don't fight, boys. There's plenty of me to go around!"

Neal giggled, "We might just break out in a cat fight over you! It's pretty cut throat around here when it comes to who gets to take of care our patients."

Scott looked uncertain and left, stammering, "I-I'll just wait for you, Neal. I didn't mean to overstep or anything."

Neal grinned, "Relax, I'm only kidding. Mr. Woodford will have the benefit of both of our attention. He's a lucky man."

Woodford said morosely, "I don't feel lucky. I wish I didn't even have to be here. I never wanted to be an interesting case."

"Of course not," Neal assuaged. "I wish you didn't have to be here, too. We're going to do everything we can to get you back out of here."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to be grouchy," Woodford sighed. "I have a successful business to run and it's killing me to just lie here when I know there are so many things I need to take care of at work."

"Have you thought of setting up a remote office by computer?" Neal suggested. "The hospital wifi is pretty good. I can help you arrange things so you can reach what you need without hurting your foot."

Woodford considered, "You know, that's a pretty good idea. I wasn't thinking about any of that when Dr. Fowler admitted me. I could ask my associate to bring my computer and we could do a lot by email and text messages."

"And even Skype," Neal suggested helpfully. "As long as you feel well enough, it will be good for you to keep busy and relieve your mind about your business."

"Thanks. Now you better go talk to that eager medical student. He looked a little like a kicked puppy when you came in," Woodford teased.

Neal winked, "Don't worry about Scott and me. We're both on the same team - yours."

At the Nursing Station, Neal found an anxious Scott chatting with nurse Lauren Cruz. He turned when Neal approached and asked, "Do you have time to talk now, Neal?"

Neal answered quickly, "I promised my patient Amy Harris that I would bring her some information about her surgery and go over it with her. It's nearly the end of my shift. Would you like to get a beer across the street when I get off?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," a surprised Scott accepted. "That would be fine."

Lauren teased Neal, "Caffrey, do you think you can have a beer without getting into any wild misadventures?"

Neal knew she was interested in getting to know Scott better, so he suggested, "Maybe you ought to come with us to keep me out of trouble, Lauren."

"I'd love to," she agreed enthusiastically. Neal thought he noticed a brief expression of disappointment cross Scott's face, so he added, "Remember, Scott and I need to discuss some serious issues regarding Mr. Woodford's care, though."

After a productive discussion with Amy about the details of her scheduled operation, Neal finished writing up his notes for the day. Then he and Scott and Lauren headed for the bar across the street.

While they waited for the elevator, Neal caught site of Peter coming out of a patient's room and excused himself. "Can I just meet you two you over there in a few minutes? I want to check in with Dr. Burke real quick before I leave."

They got into the elevator, urging him not to be long. When Neal told Peter that he was going to have a beer with his colleagues, Peter frowned, "Neal.... Do you know what you're doing?"

Neal giggled, "Of course. Don't worry, silly. I won't get into trouble over there this time."

Peter muttered, "I wish you were getting a cup of coffee instead, buddy. Anyway, I'll be tied up here for awhile. Why don't you come find me after you finish with your friends and maybe we can go home together."

Neal assented and suggested, "If you get through first, you come and join us!"

Neal was amused to watch Lauren flirting with Scott as he approached their table. They already had a pitcher of beer and three glasses sitting on the table. Lauren poured one for each of them and Neal sipped his slowly.

Lauren graciously offered, "Why don't you two go ahead and talk about whatever you need to. I'll go over and sit with a couple of my friends and come back in a little while."

Neal gave her an appreciative look and nodded, "That would be great, Lauren."

He turned to Scott who was looking at him curiously. He shook his head and said softly, "I just don't get you, Neal."

Neal was a little taken aback. He questioned calmly, "What don't you understand, Scott?"

"Well, you're a student, too, but you seem so at home here. Everybody knows you and likes you. The patients love you. The doctors respect you. How have you become so comfortable with hospital routines?" Scott puzzled.

"Oh," Neal brightened, "That's because I took care of my girlfriend Kate for about a year before she died of leukemia. I was around so much, I got to know everyone and they got used to me hanging around. I did a lot of research on Kate's condition and treatment and the experience inspired me to apply to nursing school."

"That's a remarkable story," Scott noted. "I imagine most people want nothing to do with oncology after a tragic experience like that."

"Well, I was at a point in my life when I needed to find some meaningful direction. Everyone was so nice to me and I saw how important the work they did was. I decided that I wanted to be a part of it. It wasn't easy for me to get accepted to the nursing program, though. I'm what you call a non-traditional student."

Scott chuckled, "I don't imagine there's anything ordinary about you in any respect, Neal. Why are your friends so worried about you coming to the bar? Were you an alcoholic or something?"

"No, nothing like that," Neal assured him. "I just wound up drugged by some nefarious characters a couple of times, but we don't need to get into all that."

Scott smiled, "Sounds interesting, but Neal, do you think you could help me to get more comfortable on the Oncology floor? I just feel like such an outsider, like I'm in over my head. All the patients are dealing with life or death illnesses, yet everyone seems so relaxed and casual."

"Yeah, I can see that. You know, it's kind of a combination of coping mechanism and expertise. These specialized docs and nurses are tops in their field in experience and knowledge. They warn me all the time about the need to maintain a professional attitude so I can remain helpful to the patients. It's not always easy."

The two smart attractive young men had finished their beers so Neal poured them each another. He was enjoying talking to Scott more than he had expected to. Scott was asking him, "Woukd you mind if I asked you about your relationship with Peter Burke?"

Before Neal could answer, Peter loomed beside them and growled, "I might mind."

"Oh hi, Peter. Calm down. Scott was just telling me how much like an outsider he feels in our little world. Make him feel welcome," Neal chided.

Scott blushed and apologized, "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to pry into anything personal."

Peter suggested coldly, "Why don't you go flirt with Lauren? I'm taking Neal home now."

As Peter firmly took his arm, Neal promised, "Scott, we'll talk some more tomorrow. Don't worry."

When they got outside, Neal protested, "Peter, what is the matter with you? Why were you so unfriendly to Scott? Are you upset about something?"

Peter let out a long breath and admitted, "I was jealous when I saw you sitting there with Scott. I'm sorry. I was an asshole."

Neal crowed with delight, "Jealous? You were? Really, Peter? I'm flattered!"

Peter cuffed him and sputtered with a small smile, "Come on, you. Let's go home and see about finishing that conversation we started last night."


	4. Chapter 4

They stopped to pick up a quick dinner of take out Thai food. When they got to Neal's place, Peter pulled a couple of beers out of the refrigerator and handed one to Neal to drink with their meal. Neal gave him a nervous grin and took a swig. Peter reassured him, "I'm not trying to pressure you, Neal. Just relax, okay?"

"Okay," Neal consented. "Um, Peter, just a minute. I'll be right back." He ducked into the bathroom and pulled out a prescription bottle with a few pills in it. He stared at it and considered what to do. The pills were Xanax, a minor tranquilizer, that he had left over from some of worst days after Kate's death.

Peter eased the bathroom door open and stood behind him. He placed a hand on Neal's shoulder and chided, "Neal. You don't need to drug yourself to have sex with me."

Neal shook his head, "That's not it. I'm just so anxious. I think, if I just took half of one of these, I could relax. Would that be so bad?"

"No," Peter admitted. "If that's what you want to do, but only take a half a tablet and then give me the bottle to keep for you in a safe place."

Neal looked relieved and swallowed the little piece of the pill with a sip of beer. Peter reached out and took the beer bottle from him, too. He explained, "You already had a beer at the bar. Alcohol and drugs are a dangerous combination."

Neal smiled and teased, "I love the way you take care of me. Let's finish dinner and then we can try making out and see what happens."

What happened was that both men became aroused and Peter finished Neal's beer as well as his own. They were both feeling very relaxed as they made their way over to the bed, already partially undressed. They fervently kissed and petted each other and impatiently removed their pants to free their eager erections. 

Neal nestled into Peter's arms and gave him a long sweet kiss. He pushed his tongue into Peter's mouth playfully and met his tongue to tease him. Peter eventually broke off their kiss and sighed, "God, this is so nice. I could kiss you all night long."

Neal began kissing Peter's neck and finished undressing him. Peter thrilled him by rubbing their cocks together. Neal purred and pressed even closer. He closed his eyes and threw his head back as Peter kissed his neck under his ear on his sensitive spot.

Neal began to slide down Peter's body, mouthing him sloppily as he went. When he reached Peter's crotch, Neal grinned up at him crookedly and then applied himself to blowing Peter with enthusiasm. Peter chuckled and pulled Neal off before he came. He said huskily, "Neal, I really want to fuck you tonight."

Neal's head was swimming and he felt boneless as he lay atop Peter and his body conformed comfortably to Peter's. When Peter insistently probed his asshole with well lubed fingers, Neal gasped and moaned with pleasure. He let Peter take charge and responded to his every touch with enthusiastic approval.

Peter entered him with a steady pressure and paused to let Neal get settled. He began to rock in and out slowly at first. He groaned, "Oh lover, your virgin asshole is so tight. I can't believe I'm fucking you."

Neal nuzzled him happily and pushed back against Peter's thrusts, rubbing his own burgeoning leaking cock between them sensuously. He slurred, "Having you in me feels so good. Your big hard cock fills me up."

Peter grew more forceful as his excitement increased. He pressed deeply into Neal and panted, "Come on, lover. Come with me. You feel so good."

Neal was losing it, moaning encouragingly and responding with perfect accommodation to Peter's rhythm. He dug his fingers into Peter's shoulders and started to warn, "Peter, I..."

Peter let out a cry and tensed and came in a sudden rush and Neal rose up and convulsed in orgasmic spasms, shooting his warm creamy cum onto Peter's chest. As he collapsed back onto him, Neal moaned, "Oh Peter, I love you."

Peter squeezed him tightly and kissed his face and neck, responding softly, "I love you, too, Neal."

Neal was completely wrecked as he lay back mewling and panting. Peter affectionately soothed him, smoothing his wild hair back and planting little kisses on his face. When Neal finally blinked up at him with his impossibly blue eyes and gave him a loose smile, Peter said fondly, "Hi there."

Neal just smiled peacefully, closed his eyes and sank back into the bed, looking perfectly satisfied. Peter lay next to him and gazed at Neal's beautiful face and perfect body. He smiled to himself and wondered that this amazing lover had come into his life.

The two happy men slept with their limbs wound around each other in warmth and comfort. When the morning light awakened them, Neal was ecstatic. He exclaimed, "Oh Peter, Peter! Tell me last night wasn't just a wonderful dream."

Peter rolled over onto him and suggested lustily, "How about if I show you?"

When they strolled into work together, Peter shot Neal a secret smile. He sparkled in response. Lauren was watching them and she muttered to Scott, "Looks like those two had a great night. Bet Neal isn't even able to sit down."

Scott looked embarrassed and sputtered, "Oh. Oh! You mean they...oh...really??

Cruz laughed, "Yeah, really. Are you shocked? I thought everyone knew about them."

"B-but Neal's girlfriend that died, the reason he wanted to become a nurse...." Scott stammered. "I thought, I mean I didn't know, he..."

"He's a switch hitter. What can I say?" Lauren shrugged. "There hasn't been another girl since Kate."

"And guys?" Scott wondered curiously. Lauren smiled, "Only Peter Burke. Or almost only Peter, anyway."

Scott dropped the conversation as Neal came over and asked him, "Once I check on my patients and get them settled, do you want to sit down and talk about Mr. Woodford's care?"

Scott involuntarily blushed at Neal's mention of sitting down, but managed to reply, "Would Dr. Burke get upset if we had lunch together?"

"Of course not," Neal answered. "I don't know what got into him last night."

Scott restrained himself from asking, "Or into you, perhaps?" He was not gay and he felt a little uncomfortable about the whole situation, although he wasn't sure why. He did find Neal appealing, though, and wanted to get to know him better. Lauren captured his attention again and then they all got to work.


	5. Chapter 5

Neal was surprised to discover that Amy Harris had decided the night before to cancel her surgery. She told Neal that, after going over everything they had discussed the day before, she had asked Dr. Hughes to come back in and see her. Hughes had given her his honest opinion that a course of radiation would be a better choice for her than the scheduled operative procedure by Dr. Curtis Hagen.

Neal smiled at her warmly, pleased that her decision was the same one he would have made. He inquired, "Was Dr. Hagan upset? Did you talk to him, too?"

"Only on the phone," Amy admitted, "and Dr. Hughes talked to him first. But he was very nice about it. He told me he thought that was a reasonable decision and he agreed that it was up to me to decide."

"I'm glad to hear it," Neal said, mentally revising his opinion of "Cutter" Hagen to be a little less critical. "We can talk more about the effects of the radiation later, if you like. When will your treatments begin?"

"Dr. Hughes called the radiologist and they can start me this afternoon. I'm a little afraid," she confessed. "Will it hurt?"

"No, not during the treatment," Neal explained. You won't feel anything, but over time, with daily treatments, your skin will become red and sore, like a minor burn. You'll probably feel tired and drained, too. Radiation takes a lot out of you temporarily."

"But it gets good results?" Amy hoped. Neal assured her, "It is often a cure, although of course, nobody can guarantee that for sure. Don't worry, Amy. We'll get you through it as comfortably as we possibly can."

"I'm grateful for your support," she shyly told her handsome sympathetic nurse. "It helps when I don't feel so all alone."

Neal lightly touched her cheek and gave her his best trademark smile, "I'm glad. You can definitely count on me, Amy."

It always made Neal feel good to have his caring attitude validated by his patients. He was still feeling almost high from his thrilling sexual experience with Peter and he practically floated down the hall to see his next patient.

Unfortunately, Raquel Laroque was in pitiful condition, wretching over a basin when he entered her room. Neal hurried over to her, saying, "Hey, hey. What's going on here, beautiful? Not feeling well this morning?"

Raquel mourned, "Oh Neal, there is nothing beautiful about me this morning. I feel so sick. Can you help me?"

Neal handed her a moist washcloth soberly and instructed her, "Hold tight. I'm going to run out and check your orders and see what I can do to help you. I'll be right back."

Dr. Hagan was at the desk and he gave Neal a wry smile. He asked gruffly, "Did you talk my patient Ms. Harris out of having surgery, Mr. Caffrey?"

"Oh, no sir; I mean not really, sir; I don't think so," Neal said in a rush, "but Dr. Hagen? Raquel Laroque is suffering from severe nausea this morning. Is there something we can do for her?"

Hagen checked her medical record and replied, "Well, I don't think that's a result of her surgery, but we can increase her dose of antiemetic and add some Prevacid to inhibit stomach acid. I'll go ahead and write the order."

"Thank you. I'll get it now and give it to her," Neal confirmed, glad to have something he could offer to Raquel that might give her some relief. On the Oncology floor, they often had patients with intractable nausea and vomiting. It was one of the common challenges of cancer treatment.

When Neal finally got to Alan Woodford's room, he was amused to see the man had set up a mini high tech office with his computer, his tablet, and his printer and was busily conducting business over his smartphone. Neal patiently waited for him to finish his call.

Woodford greeted Neal, "Hey, as you can see, I took your advice. I feel much better now that I'm catching up on my work."

Neal smiled ironically, "That's good, Alan; but don't overdo it, okay? We still need to make your chemotherapy treatments and your recovery our first priority. Okay?"

"That's what your friend Dr. Rivers said, too. Are you two ganging on up on me now?" Alan laughed.

Neal cautioned, "We just want to give you the best care we can so you can get well."

"I know, but I don't have a chemo treatment scheduled until tomorrow. I feel fine right now," his patient informed him.

"Okay, then just let me interrupt long enough to get your vitals and check your dressings and you can go back to work," Neal agreed amiably.

When he finished Neal was surprised to note that it was time for lunch and he looked around for Scott Rivers. He found him in another patient's room and the two young men went down to the cafeteria.

Neal commented, "We talked more about me than you last night, Scott. Tell me about yourself. What made you decide to pursue a career in medicine?"

Scott shrugged, "My dad is a doctor, my grandfather was a doctor, so....I'm going to be a doctor, too. I never really imagined anythings else."

"Wow! That's cool," Neal enthused. "I never felt that sure of anything. Have you decided which specialty you're interested in?"

"Believe it or not, I think I want to be an obstetrician. Bringing new lives into the world interests me a lot more than working with dying patients," confessed Scott.

"Of course when OB deals with the rare death, it is especially heartbreaking," Neal pointed out. "Are you worried about that?"

"Oh well, I realize that death and tragedy are natural parts of life, too. I just don't want to deal with them on a daily basis," explained Scott. "Anyway, I love the little babies. I don't think I'd have the patience to be a pediatrician, though. Sick kids are hard."

"All kids are fascinating to me," Neal disclosed. "I've never been around them that much. I didn't have any brothers or sisters. I doubt if I'll ever have any children of my own. Maybe if Kate had lived, we would have, but now I don't think I'll ever get married."

"Oh, I couldn't imagine a life without my own family," sympathized Scott. "I'm just looking for the right woman to share my life with."

"That's so romantic," Neal smiled. "I'm pretty sure there are a lot of girls who'd like to be that woman."

Scott chuckled, "I know there are some. I guess I just haven't found the one for me yet. I guess you loved Kate very much."

"Yeah, I did. She was my ideal girl. I just don't see how anyone could ever take ever take her place in my heart," Neal mourned.

"But, it's different with Peter?" Scott blurted out. He blushed and Looked down, saying quickly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be intrusive."

Neal smiled a little sadly and reassured him, "It's okay. I can see why you would be curious. The truth is I don't know myself. I mean I know I am in love with Peter, but I have no idea what our future will be. Did you know he was engaged to be married to Vincent Adler's admin assistant, Elizabeth Mitchell?"

"No. He's engaged to a woman, but you two are lovers?" Scott wondered uncomfortably.

"He was engaged. She gave him his ring back because of me," Neal explained. He looked around and saw Peter and Elizabeth having lunch together across the room. He pointed them out to Scott. "That's her sitting with Peter over there."

"They still see each other?" asked his confused companion. "How does that work?"

Neal laughed self consciously, "It does seem a bit complicated, doesn't it? I guess it is. Hey, let's go back up to the floor and go over Alan Woodford's case together. I have a feeling he is in for a rough couple weeks now that he is starting his chemo. You know, even with that, he has a very poor prognosis because of the advanced stage of his melanoma. It's sad."

Scott seemed relieved to get back to a professional subject and he confided, "I haven't taken care of a dying patient yet, so I'll appreciate your help. You seem to handle things so well. You know, in med school we get a lot of textbook knowledge, but I've had very little practical experience so far."

"Come on," Neal beckoned. "There's only one way to get more experience."

Neal ignored Peter's intense stare as they left the cafeteria, but Scott was uncomfortably aware of it. The last thing he wanted to do was to get on the wrong side of the chief resident. He decided he'd better try to steer clear of Peter's and Neal's personal relationship if he could.

Peter caught up with Neal at the end of his shift. He complained peevishly, "I saw you having lunch with Scott. You seemed to be having a very intimate conversation."

"Yeah, well, I saw you having lunch with Elizabeth. I know you two are very intimate," Neal retorted. 

"Come on, Neal, I don't want to fight with you. It's just hard for me to see you with a man who is younger and better looking than I am," admitted Peter sorrowfully.

Neal sighed, "Peter, Scott is completely straight. He's looking for a nice girl to marry and have kids with. He knows how much I loved Kate and he's confused about our relationship."

"Well, I was planning to marry Elizabeth until you confused me," pointed out Peter. "What have you told him about us?"

"Nothing, except that I love you," Neal disclosed honestly. "And I do. You know that, don't you, Peter?"

"Of course, I do. Unfortunately, I have to get back to work now. I have to write discharge orders for one patient and another new admission is coming in," Peter informed him. "Stay out of trouble until I get home, will you?"

Neal giggled, "Yep, I'm going home to study all by myself. Don't let Cutter Hagan operate on all the patients before I get back!"

"I'll be sure to let him know he needs to get your permission first!" Peter teased. "See you later, lover."


	6. Chapter 6

Neal was happy to take a study break when Mozzie dropped by. Mozz always seemed to know when Peter wasn't home. He perused Neal's wine selections and selected a nice rich burgundy.

Neal gave him a corkscrew and a couple of large wine glasses. Mozzie toasted, "To wine, wit, and wisdom." 

Neal smiled at his friend's typically arcane saying. He said fondly, "I've missed you, Mozzie. What have you been up to lately?"

"The usual - keeping an ungrateful hospital running around the clock. I was hoping to hear some good gossip from you, my friend," Mozzie replied.

"Oh, well, do you know the surgeon Dr. Curtis Hagen? Hughes called him Cutter Hagen, because he loves to operate so much. Clinton Jones and I think he's doing more surgery than is strictly necessary. Clinton thinks it's because of money. I'm not so sure. I think it might be ego."

"Yeah, I've heard of the guy. He's supposed to be a good surgeon. Demands nothing but the best instruments and equipment. How are his complication and mortality rates?" Mozzie asked.

Neal pondered, "I don't know. He's only been coming around the Oncology floor lately, operating on a lot of our patients."

Mozzie offered, "I could ask Elizabeth for his statistics, if you like, and find out if he has any complaints or lawsuits against him."

"Thanks, Mozz. I'd appreciate that," Neal responded. "Hey, maybe you shouldn't tell her it's for me, though."

"Oh? Does that have any thing to do with your favorite doctor, and hers?" questioned Mozzie.

"Kind of. I've been feeling kind of jealous of her lately. Peter says she's jealous of me, too. Peter's been jealous Scott Rivers, the med student, and I was even jealous of Scott, too!" Neal tried to explain.

"Seriously, Neal? This sounds like _General Hospital_ on daytime TV," Mozzie chuckled.

Neal giggled, "It does, doesn't it? Mozz? Peter and I had sex. I mean actual sex. You know?"

"Ooh, too much information, Neal!" Mozzie clapped his hands over ears. "Why would you tell me that? Oh, I know. It's the wine. You've had enough. I'm going to take the rest of this bottle home."

Neal protested, "Do you have to go already? You just got here. I'm tired of studying by myself. I need some company."

Mozzie chided, "Don't fall in love with a busy resident doctor then. I'll get the information about Dr. Hagen though, and get back to you tomorrow. Want to meet for lunch?"

"If I can, yeah. Come up to the floor and find me," Neal accepted. "Goodnight, Mozzie. Enjoy the wine!"

Neal sat back down at the table and went over his notes for the case study he was writing on Alan Woodford. He sighed and put it away for the night. He did a little reading on radiation therapy for thyroid cancer, and then looked up surgical procedures for stomach carcinoma.

Just as he was about to turn out the lights and go to bed, Peter came in looking exhausted, He moaned, "What a night! The new patient coded, and as soon we had him stabilized, he was rushed to surgery."

"Dr. Hagan?" Neal asked curiously. Peter nodded, "But there was no question that this patient needed surgery. He was bleeding out. It's a wonder he even lived through the surgery. If he makes it through the night, Hagen will have to operate again to do a more permanent repair."

"Wow, so I missed out on the action," Neal pouted. "I might have been able to observe the operation if I'd been there."

"Probably," agreed Peter. "Scott did. This was the first code he's ever seen and Hagen let him scrub in on the case."

"You were working with Scott?" Neal inquired. "Did you get along with him?"

"Of course, Neal. We were pretty busy, you know. He seems nice enough, though. It's obvious that he still has a lot to learn," observed Peter.

"Yeah, he mentioned that he hasn't had much clinical experience until now," Neal remembered.

"Neal?" Peter wheedled as he flopped onto the bed in his underwear. "Could you massage my shoulders?"

Neal grinned, "Oh, I would love to, Dr. Burke!"

"Neal?" Peter warned wearily, "Just rub my shoulders. I'll be asleep in about two minutes."

Neal kissed him between his shoulders and began to knead his shoulders. He whispered, "Okay, but you are mine in the morning!"

Very early in the morning, Peter's phone awakened him. His newly admitted patient was dying in spite of the surgery he had. Peter was needed immediately so he would be there to pronounce the man dead. As chief resident, it was his responsibility.

Peter looked regretfully at his soundly sleeping lover. There was no point in waking him, so Peter left a note for him on the table: _"Sorry, lover. Duty calls. See you tomorrow."_

When Neal awoke a couple of hours later, he immediately noticed that Peter wasn't in bed. He checked the bathroom and then found the note on the table. He frowned and crumpled up the note. He thought Peter should have woken him up so he could go with him. If Peter had some kind of emergency, Neal wanted to be in on the action. He wondered if Scott was there.

Neal dressed and hurried in to work. When he got to the Oncology floor, he asked head nurse Sara Ellis, "What happened last night? Do you know where Peter is?"

"Slipped his leash, did he?" Sara winked at him. "Apparently the patient he admitted last evening died early this morning. They tried emergency surgery last night, but he didn't survive."

Scott Rivers stumbled in looking like he had been up all night. He greeted Neal, "Hi there. You missed all the excitement last night. I don't know how I'm going to stay awake today."

Neal was subdued as he queried, "Do you know where Peter is now, by any chance?"

Scott answered wearily, "I think he probably went upstairs to one of the on call rooms to try to sleep a little bit."

Neal started down the hall, ignoring Sara, who called out, "Neal, you can't leave. You're on duty now."

He replied over his shoulder, "Cover for me, please. I'll be right back."

Sara exchanged a look with Scott and then got started on her morning rounds. Clinton Jones arrived at the Nurses Station and remarked to Scott, "So Cutter Hagan lost a patient last night, huh?"

"Oh well, I don't think anyone could have saved him. His cancer eroded through a big artery and he bled to death. I've never seen so much blood in my life!" Scott noted.

Jones put a hand on his shoulder and asked nicely, "Was this your first patient death?"

Scott nodded silently. Jones patted him and suggested, "Well, let's go see how our live patients are doing this morning. You ready?"

Scott nodded again, too tired to say anything. Jones took pity on him and said, "Hey, drink a cup of coffee first while I look over the medical records."

Neal made his way to the on call rooms and opened the door to the first one. In the dim light, he had to walk up to the bed to discover that the occupant wasn't Peter. He mumbled, "Sorry man," and quickly retreated.

He cautiously opened the next door and was relieved to see Peter sleeping there. Neal carefully slipped off his jacket and hung it over the back of a chair. He gingerly climbed onto the narrow bed next to Peter and stroked his face.

Peter groggily opened his eyes and reached out to Neal. He whispered, "Hi Neal. What time is it?"

Neal shushed him, "Hush, it's very early. Go back to sleep. I just wanted to see you."

"Do you have to go?" Peter guessed. Neal nodded, "Yeah, but let me lie here with you for a minute first. I'm sorry you lost your patient. I wish you had let me come with you."


	7. Chapter 7

Neal went to see Raquel Laroque first. She was clinging to a basin again. She moaned, "Oh, I wish I hadn't had that surgery. I've been so sick ever since. I'm nauseated and my stomach hurts. I feel chilled and sweaty at the same time. I can't even get up to go to the bathroom."

Neal offered sympathetically, "How about if I give you a nice bedbath this morning. Then I'll get you up in a chair while I change your bed. Let me just get your vitals and check your dressing and your drain. Okay?"

"Okay," she sighed, easing away from the basin. "Nothing is coming up right now anyway."

Neal was concerned to discover that his patient was febrile. Her dressing was dry and there wasn't much blood coming through her drain so he thought it probably could come out. He decided to mention it if he saw Dr. Hagan.

Raquel asked anxiously, "Is everything okay, Neal? I don't have any complications, do I?"

Neal smiled reassuringly, "Your temp is up just a bit, but you're not losing blood. I'll ask Dr. Hagan if we can remove your drain today. That might help."

"Oh thanks," his weary patient agreed. "I think it might. It's awkward having it attached to me. It hurts when I turn over."

"Okay, I'll go make a note on your medical record. I have to check on my other patients and then I'll be back to give you that bath and get you up," Neal promised cheerfully.

He went to Amy Harris's room next and found her resting peacefully. He decided not to disturb her since she needed her rest. He could come back and check on her a little later.

He was surprised to find Dr. Fowler and Scott Rivers in Alan Woodford's room until he saw that the oncologist was slowly injecting a large syringe full of a potent chemotherapy drug. At the same time, a small piggyback bottle was draining another chemical into the patient's IV.

Neal approached quietly and smiled gently at Alan, who looked fearful as he lay very still. Dr. Fowler acknowledged him with a nod. "Good morning Nurse Caffrey. Our patient is going to need close monitoring this morning for side effects of this treatment."

Neal patted Alan's shoulder and promised, "Scott and I will keep an eye on him. Are you giving him an antiemetic and a steroid with the chemo?"

Fowler directed, "Read my notes in his medical record. The whole protocol is in there."

"Of course, sir," Caffrey nodded. "I looked it over last evening. Alan, do you have any questions for Dr. Fowler while he's here?"

"No, I think I asked them all already. I won't be getting any work done today, will I?" Alan worried.

"Probably not, Alan. It may be a couple of days before you feel up to it again, but fighting your melanoma is our priority right now, remember?" Neal reminded.

"Yeah, I know, and just when I start to feel better from this treatment, you'll hit me with another one," sighed Alan.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," admitted Neal. "We knew this was coming. It's why you are here in the hospital. We have to hit this ugly cancer with everything we've got to try to save your life. You're going to have to be strong and fight back. Scott and I will help you."

Scott chimed in, "I'll certainly do anything I can. I'll be managing your medical treatment between chemo treatments, under Dr. Fowler's supervision."

Neal excused himself from the room. He wanted to take care of Raquel so he would be free to sit with Alan if he needed him later. He expected in an hour or so, Woodford would be vomiting.

The morning went by quickly after that with Neal dividing his attention between Raquel and Alan. He stopped in briefly to check on Amy, too, and rubbed some ointment over her radiated skin.

Mozzie showed up to collect Neal for lunch at about the same time Peter and Scott had the same idea. They all four decided to go together so they let Sara and Lauren know they were going. Clinton Jones said he'd stay on the floor with the nurses while they were gone to keep an eye on the patients.

He joked, "Somebody has to fill me in on all the gossip when you come back, though!"

"All of it?" Neal leered suggestively. Peter swatted at him and urged, "Come on, let's go before something happens to stop us."

They discovered that Elizabeth Mitchell was already sitting down with her tray, so they all crowded around her table. She asked Mozzie, "Were the files I pulled for you helpful? Could you find what you were looking for?"

Mozzie thanked her profusely, but admitted he hadn't finished going through them yet. Peter asked, "What are you looking for, Haversham?"

Neal broke in, "Oh Mozz is checking up on Cutter Hagan to see if there is any cause for concern."

Peter chided, "Neal, please. You should call him Dr. Hagan, or at least Curtis Hagan. Show some respect."

Neal sassed, "Well, we're trying to find out if he deserves that respect. I have one very sick patient who is trying to recover from what I suspect was an unnecessary and unhelpful surgery."

"Sometimes, there can be differences of opinion about whether surgery is the most effective treatment," pointed out Peter.

Scott contributed, "It's not just on Oncology, though. I know other med students around the hospital who say Dr. Hagan has a reputation for being aggressive about surgery. They also say he is a very skillful surgeon. They love to scrub in on his cases."

"Did you enjoy it last night?" Neal asked with a twinge of jealousy.

"Well, I was glad for the opportunity, but pretty much all I could see was blood. I couldn't even see the patient's tumor," Scott explained.

"Did you get to help?" Elizabeth wondered. "Or did you just watch?"

"Oh, I held a retractor, but that's all," Scott disclosed. "I hope I can do more on the next case."

Elizabeth asked, "Are you interested in being a surgeon, Scott?"

He answered, "Well, that would be my second choice. I really want to be an obstetrician."

"Well, OB-GYN is a surgical specialty," Peter pointed out. "I enjoyed my rotation there. Birth really is a miracle!"

Scott asked Neal, "Do you think you would ever want to be a doctor?"

Neal grinned, "Well, I realize that's where all the prestige and money are, but I'm not interested in all that work and responsibility!"

Peter objected, "Neal, you are very hardworking and responsible."

"Well, I guess I like caring more than curing. I want to take care of patients, physically and emotionally, to be there with them when they need help and support."

Scott appeared interested. "I guess I never really thought about it, but it is a matter of where you put the emphasis, isn't it?"

Neal nodded, "I'm just not as interested in the clinical science of disease as much as the dynamics of caring and wellness."

"Which is a fancy way of saying his patients adore him!" Elizabeth said fondly.

Peter ruffled Neal's hair and added, "And his patients aren't the only ones."

Elizabeth looked away for a moment and there was an awkward silence which Mozzie broke, "Well, this hospital doesn't run itself. I've got to get back to managing the logistics and supplies that keep us in business."

Neal noticed that Scott looked a little pale and he hadn't eaten very much. He asked solicitously, "Are you feeling okay, Scott?"

Scott grimaced, "Yeah, I think so. My stomach's a little upset. I think I'm just tired from last night. I'll try to get some sleep tonight."

Elizabeth turned her attention to Scott and said loudly enough for Peter to hear, "I'm Administrator Adler's assistant. I like to get to know all of our medical students. Perhaps you and I could have drinks after work some night."

Scott mumbled a noncommittal reply and escaped from the cafeteria. Neal noticed Peter's clenched fists and furrowed brow. He chided, "Peter, it's only fair, isn't it? That's what you tell me."

Peter replied urgently, "Come upstairs with me for a minute, Neal."

Neal followed Peter curiously. Peter led them to an on call room and closed and locked he door. He put his arms around Neal and kissed him and then rested his chin against the top of Neal's head. He confessed, "I guess I need a little reassurance."

Neal smiled up at him and purred, "Which I will be happy to provide for you!" He dropped to his knees and began to work on Peter's belt and zipper.

Peter stopped him and pulled him back up. "As much as I appreciate that gesture, that isn't exactly what I need right now."

Neal looked at him lovingly and asked, "How can I show you how much I love you, Peter."

"I see it in your eyes now. Just kiss me a little more and then we'll go back to work. Somehow, tonight I'm going to get off so I can go home with you."

"Promise?" Neal curled into Peter's larger body and tilted his face up for a sweet kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

As his shift ended, Neal urged Scott to go home, too. He pointed out, "Everything is under control here. You look exhausted. A good hot meal and a soft warm bed can do wonders!"

Scott nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to leave early. I just don't feel well. I'm not hungry at all."

Neal clapped a friendly hand on his shoulder and encouraged, "That's it. See you tomorrow, okay?"

Scott blanched and ran for the bathroom. Neal waited anxiously outside as he realized that Scott was vomiting. When Scott emerged, Neal led him into an empty patient room and got him to sit on the bed. Neal gently took Scott's wrist and he could feel the sweaty warmth of his skin as he counted his racing pulse.

Neal looked over the pale med student and concluded seriously, "Scott, you're really sick. Stay right here and I'll get Peter."

He grabbed Peter and hurried him in to check on Scott. Peter questioned the young man about his symptoms and had him lie down on the bed so he could examine him. When he tried to prod his abdomen, Scott involuntarily put up his hand to stop him. He admitted tersely, "Hurts."

Finally, Peter laid his hand on Scott's forehead and brushed his hair back. He told him sympathetically, "I need to draw some blood to run some tests."

Neal waited with Scott while Peter left the room. When he returned he had Dr. Curtis Hagen with him. Hagen boomed jovially, "Well, well, what have we here? A med student with a surgical abdomen?"

A look of fear passed over Scott's handsome features. Neal patted his arm for reassurance. Hagen explained, "It looks like a case of acute appendicitis. We'll wait for the blood test results and send you for a CT scan, but we probably need to remove the pesky thing."

Scott grasped Neal's hand and asked, "Could you scrub in, Neal? I'd like to have you there."

Hagen guffawed, "Sure, the more the merrier! No worries. There's nothing to it. A chance to cut is a chance to save, I always say! We don't want that thing rupturing and causing peritonitis so the sooner we can get it out, the better."

Lauren Cruz came into the room to help Neal get Scott ready and make sure all the consent forms were signed. Within a couple of hours, they were on the way to the OR. Neal gave an already sedated Scott a last confident smile before the anesthetist put him out. He promised, "You're in good hands. Just relax."

Neal had only scrubbed in on minor surgeries before and he was fascinated by the laparoscopic procedure that Dr. Hagan performed. The surgeon was generous in explaining what he was doing to Neal and allowing him to observe. When he placed the final stitches, he smiled broadly and pronounced, "They don't call me Cutter for nothing! Another successful surgical cure."

Neal accompanied Scott to the Recovery Room and waited for him to wake up. Peter joined him and smiled proudly, "Nice work, partner! That poor kid had been walking around all afternoon with a hot appendix. It's a good thing he didn't go home alone or he might have found himself in trouble."

"Yeah, but he's going to hate this. How long do you think he'll have to miss work?" Neal asked.

"Well, not very long if he recovers without complication. We caught it early so he could have the laparoscopic procedure and didn't end up with an acute abdomen," Peter considered.

Neal piped up jokingly, "I thought his abdomen was kind of cute. Didn't you?"

Peter winced and grinned, "Come on, you. We have time to grab a bite to eat before Scott wakes up."

Neal held Scott's hand as he slowly regained awareness. Scott told Neal emotionally, "Thank you for staying with me."

Neal made sure he was comfortable and then planted a chaste little kiss on Scott's forehead. He said goodnight fondly and promised to see him first thing in the morning.

Peter was tired from the long day, but Neal felt keyed up with excitement, so when they got home, they poured a couple of brandies. Neal chattered excitedly about the operation until he finally wound down. He admitted, "I guess Cutter Hagan isn't such a bad guy after all. He saved Scott's life tonight."

Peter reminded, "We know he is a skilled surgeon, but that doesn't mean he always uses the best judgment. I still think he is quick to operate when another treatment might be just as effective or better."

Neal stood up and walked over to Peter and wrapped his arms around him from behind. He rested his chin on Peter's head and then kissed his hair. He said seductively, "There's only one more thing I need tonight."

Peter got up and returned his embrace. Neal asked him, "Are you too tired to make love to me?"

Peter shook his head and answered, "Nope. Not at all."

Neal poured all of his passion into lovemaking with extreme responsiveness that drove Peter to higher levels of sensitivity and energy. The two lovers moaned and twisted and teased and pumped themselves to exquite pleasure. They were both breathless and sweaty when Neal exploded in ecstasy under Peter, and Peter drove to an ultimate finish.

They lay together limp and radiant and feeling as close as they ever had. Neal clung to Peter like a koala bear and Peter held him like a precious possession. Neal rubbed his face against Peter's warm body and groaned, "Oh, I don't want to move. Hold me tight, Peter. 

Peter sighed, "Neal. I've never felt anything like that. I love you so much. I'll never let go."

In the morning, they awoke refreshed and full of energy. Neal was anxious to get back to the hospital to see how Scott was feeling before he went on duty on the Oncology floor. He found him resting peacefully under the influence of narcotic pain medication. When he saw Neal, Scott gave him a big smile and weakly reached out for him.

Neal patted him and observed, "You look like you're feeling no pain this morning. Did you have a good night?"

Scott rambled, "I woke up in pain but then they gave me some more morphine so I wouldn't hurt anymore and more morphine worked so now I don't hurt anymore. You know?"

"Yeah, I know. That's good, Scott. You're going to be just fine," Neal smiled indulgently. "You might as well just lie back and take it easy for a little while. This afternoon we'll get you out of bed." 

Scott nodded placidly, "Okay, but I might be kind of dizzy. That's okay, though. Do you know Dr. Hagan took my appendix out last night? No more appendix! Didn't need it anyway!"

"Yep, I was there when he did it! You're better off without it," Neal giggled. "Listen, I'll come back and see you later. You just rest this morning, okay?"

Scott's eyelids lowered and he mumbled, "Okay. See you later. I'm kind of sleepy now."

Neal went to check his Oncology patients. Lauren and Sara asked him right away how Scott was doing. He assured them that he was making a good recovery. Everyone felt bad that they didn't realize how sick Scott was the afternoon before.

"Well, he was pretty stoic about it," Neal observed. "I'm not even sure he realized how sick he was at first. It just kind of overwhelmed him. There's no place that's better to be than in a hospital when you discover you have appendicitis, though. Hagan just whisked him into surgery and took the thing out."

"Guess old Cutter did the right thing that time," Clinton Jones approved. "Sometimes it's cut and dried."

"Well, I was there and it was cut and bloody," joked Neal to a chorus of groans.

Lauren remarked, "You're sure in a great mood today, Caffrey. Where's Dr. Burke? You didn't break him, did you?"

Neal blushed deeply and looked down the hall, relieved to see Peter coming. He said mischievously, "There he is. Why don't you ask him yourself."

When Neal went in to see her, Raquel was still doing poorly and he was beginning to worry about her. He just didn't understand what was going on with her. He decided to ask Ms. Berrigan if she could help him.

Amy Harris was feeling worn out from her radiation therapy, but she was coping well. She was excited to tell Neal that her parents and her sister were coming into town to be with her as soon as she was discharged.

Alan Woodford was suffering from the side effects of his chemotherapy. He complained, "I ache all over like I have the flu. I hardly have the energy to move and I keep getting chills."

Neal sympathized, "I know it's hard. This is probably the worst of it right now. I'll get some extra blankets to wrap around you. This is a normal reaction, but you should start feeling better again by tomorrow."

Alan groaned, "And then the next day, I'll get another dose and feel just a bad again. I'm already dreading it."

Neal comforted, "Take it easy. Let's just take one day at a time. Dr. Fowler won't give you another dose until you're ready to tolerate it. All this suffering will be worth it, though, if we can stop that melanoma."

"It's ironic. The treatment is making me feel like I'm dying," Alan commented bitterly. "I can take it, though. You're right. It'll be worth it if works. If it doesn't, at least I'll know I tried everything."

"That's the spirit," Neal encouraged. "I need to check your vitals and then I'll bring the extra blankets."

"Where's my medical student this morning?" Alan wondered. "He's usually here bright and early."

Neal told him gently about Scott's illness and Woodford expressed his regret. He shook his head, "He seemed perfectly healthy."

"Well, he'll be healthy again now, and hopefully you'll be healthy again, too," Neal encouraged him. "I'll tell Scott you missed him."


	9. Chapter 9

Neal skipped lunch so he could work with Raquel and Alan to try to make them more comfortable. Ms. Berrigan came by and Neal went over his cases with her. She complimented him on his quick reaction to Scott's distress the day before and gave him credit for scrubbing in for Scott's surgery. 

Neal took a short break while his patients were resting to visit Scott. He was feeling much more awake and asked if Neal could help him get up to sit in a chair. He was anxious to recover and get back to work as soon as possible.

Neal checked with the nurse assigned to Scott and then carefully assisted him to sit up in bed, move his legs over the side and pivot into the bedside chair. He arranged a blanket around him and made sure he was tolerating ithe activity all right. 

He warned, "I know you don't want to miss work, but you need a couple of days to recover. Otherwise, you may bleed or develop an infection. Can I bring you anything to read or study?"

Scott thanked him, but explained that a friend would bring his laptop to the hospital for him to use. He asked Neal how Alan Woodford was doing and sympathized with the ordeal the man was suffering through. He worried, "I just hope it will cure him."

Neal agreed, but reminded him, "At least it should buy him some time. You know, cancer research makes progress all the time, too."

After watching Dr. Hagan perform Scott's emergency appendectomy, Neal felt a little bit better about him. Still, he decided to follow up with Mozzie as to the surgeon's track record and background. Neal was still troubled by Raquel's complicated recovery from a surgery he wasn't sure she needed.

When his shift ended, Neal went to look for Mozzie, but he wasn't in his office. He called him, but only got Mozz's cryptic message. Neal decided to walk up to Administrator Adler's office to find Elizabeth and see if she knew anything.

As he approached Elizabeth's office, Neal heard the sound of his lover's voice. He slowed down, wondering what Peter was doing there. He approached cautiously and found Peter, with his back to Neal, with his arms wrapped around Elizabeth's waist and his head close to hers. Neal pressed against the wall and guiltily listened to their conversation.

Peter was saying quietly, "I don't know, Hon. I'm not sure how long it will take. I just know I'm not ready yet. But I don't want to lose you."

Neal couldn't hear Elizabeth's response, but he realized that Peter was kissing her. He heard him sigh, "I do love you, El. I'm sorry."

Neal felt an emotional pain shoot through him. He suddenly felt dizzy and weak and nauseated. He spun around and headed for the closest restroom. After he vomited, he realized he was in the same place where Matt Keller had taken advantage of him and drugged him some weeks earlier.

He sank to a squat and leaned against the wall trying to compose himself. After the incredible sex he and Peter had been having, he could not understand why Peter was confessing his love to Elizabeth. Neal felt that Peter had been apologizing to her for being with Neal. He had told her he wasn't ready "yet" to give Neal up.

They had looked so intimate and comfortable together. Neal felt tears sting his eyes. Peter intended to give him up. That was what he really wanted to do so he could go back to being engaged to Elizabeth. Neal was just his last fling before getting married.

Neal made himself get up and he numbly stumbled out of the hospital. He made his way home somehow and threw himself on his bed. He doubled over with his knees drawn up and put a pillow over his head. He felt heartbroken and betrayed.

He was in love with Peter and, though they had never talked about the future, Neal had assumed they would at some point. How could they they be having such hot, intimate, loving sex if this was all a casual affair for Peter.

Neal began to sob uncontrollably. He cried like he hadn't since Kate died. He felt so hurt and lonely. His chest hurt and his stomach was upset. When he couldn't cry anymore, he went to sleep with his arms wrapped tightly around the pillow. He wished he didn't have to wake up.

A few hours later, he was awakened by his phone. He realized dejectedly that it was Peter calling. The call that would have thrilled him only hours before now felt unbearable. When he didn't answer, Peter left a message.

Neal played the message with dread. He heard Peter's beloved voice saying, "Hey lover, I'm just getting away now. I'm going to stop and get you some of those Italian pastries you love for a special treat. Be there soon!"

Neal felt nauseated again. He supposed Peter was trying to make up for feeling guilty about the way he was treating Neal. He wondered if tonight was when Peter was going to tell him that he really wanted to marry Elizabeth. He felt panicky.

When Peter's knock came, Neal didn't bother to go to the door. Peter came in anyway, carrying a box of pastries as promised. Neal looked up at him listlessly. Peter frowned a little and inquired, "Is something wrong, buddy? Aren't you feeling well?"

Neal grasped at that excuse. "Yeah, I mean, no I'm not. I think I'm going to take a bath and go to bed."

"Don't you want some pastry first? I got your favorite just for you." Peter sounded disappointed.

When Neal shook his head, Peter came over to him and laid his hand across Neal's brow to check for fever. He looked more closely at Neal and suspected he had been crying. He encouraged softly, "Won't you tell me what's the matter, Neal? Something has obviously upset you."

Neal shook his head and pulled away. He hurried into the bathroom and closed the door and leaned against it to keep Peter from coming in. A tear slid down his cheek. He wished he had never gotten involved with Peter. What had he been thinking? He knew the man was engaged to be married. Why would he ever imagine that Peter would choose him over the beautiful Elizabeth?

He ran some water into the bathtub and stayed in the bathroom for as long as he could. He didn't hear any sounds from Peter, so he thought he had probably gone to sleep, or maybe he had just left.

Neal cautiously cracked the door open, but he didn't see Peter. He relaxed a little and slipped his pajamas on.

It was only after he was in bed that he saw Peter still sitting silently in the dark at the table. Peter asked softly, "Have I done something wrong, Neal?"

Neal mumbled, "No, I guess not. Not if you don't think so."

Peter winced, "Please don't play games with me, lover. I need to know what's wrong. Don't you think you owe me that much?"

"I don't think I owe you anything," Neal muttered sullenly. He turned over with his back to Peter.

Peter sighed sadly, "Can I still sleep here with you tonight? I'm tired, Neal."

Neal hesitated and then relented, "Okay, sure. Sleep if you want to. I don't care. I'm tired, too."

Peter took off his clothes and climbed into bed next to Neal. He tentatively reached out and lightly brushed his shoulder. Neal shrugged him off and scooted away. Peter told him, "Tomorrow we are going to talk! I have to know what's happened to upset you so much."

They spent an uncomfortable night together, managing to sleep most of the time. In the morning, Neal crept out of bed, pulled on his clothes, and slipped out the door. When Peter woke up, he was alone in Neal's rooms. The pastries he had brought the night before were untouched.

Peter felt confused and upset. He thought Neal was being very temperamental and he wondered if he could deal with all the drama if they had a long term relationship.

The two lovers avoided each other all day, both staying busy with their challenging patients. Neal spent his lunch break visiting Scott. He felt he needed to confide in someone, so he recounted what he saw and heard in Elizabeth's office the day before.

Scott shook his head and said, "I'm really surprised. I mean Peter looks at you with such love in his eyes."

"Well, I guess he loves Elizabeth more," Neal countered. "He wants to marry her. I guess can't I blame him. But it hurts so much. I'm so in love with him."

"I'm sorry, Neal. I guess love hurts sometimes," Scott sympathized. "It seems like it has hurt you a couple of times."

Neal teared up and nodded, "This is the worst I've felt since Kate died."

"Did Peter actually tell you he wanted to break up?" queried Scott. "Or are you just going by what you overheard. Maybe you misunderstood."

"No, I think he was going to tell me last night, but I wouldn't let him," Neal disclosed. "I'm dreading seeing him because I know it's going to happen."

Scott gave him a comforting smile. "Well, concentrate on your work, Neal. Maybe that will help keep you from brooding about it."

As Neal was leaving that afternoon, Peter caught up to him. He said cheerily, "Hey, haven't seen you all day. Want to get a cup of coffee with me?"

Neal steeled himself and accepted unenthusiastically, "Yeah, okay, might as well do it now."

As they sat down together with their coffees, Mozzie bustled up and plopped into a chair. He chattered, "Oh hey, you two. I looked at the records on Dr. Hagen. Guess what I found out?"

Neal asked curiously, "What did you check? His surgery cases? Lawsuits? Complaints?"

Mozzie said proudly, "All of the above. It turns out that he does more operations than the next two busiest surgeons in the hospital and those are orthopedists and gynecologists. That makes him one of the top revenue producers for this hospital. You can be sure Adler knows that."

Peter pursued, "And what about complaints and lawsuits? Have there been any?"

Mozzie dramatically pronounced, "Six lawsuits - all of them settled for undisclosed amounts! The state medical board looked into his practice last year, but didn't start any proceedings against him."

"Wow," Peter whistled. "That seems like a lot. Is it, Haversham?

Mozzie nodded, "It definitely is. His malpractice premiums are very high, too, but here is something else interesting. The hospital is paying them for him!"

Neal wondered, "Is that usual? For the hospital to pay a physician's insurance premiums for him?"

Suddenly Peter grabbed his phone and groused, "Oh no, I've got back up in the floor. Neal, I'm sorry. We still need to talk. I'll call you when I'm finished here."

Neal just nodded glumly. Mozzie surmised, "Trouble in paradise? You two lovebirds having a fight? What are you arguing about?"

"We're not arguing, Mozz," Neal explained sadly. "I think Peter wants to break up with me and go back to Elizabeth."

"Really? That's not what she told me," Mozzie observed. "I thought Peter had decided to end their engagement."

Well, he did, or she did, but that was before....oh never mind," Neal spluttered. "Mozzie I don't want to talk about it."

When Neal got back home, he eyed the pastries that Peter had brought for him. He decided he might as well eat one and poured a glass of sweet rosé wine to go with it.


	10. Chapter 10

Peter worked late, admitting two new patients. After making a quick check on the other patients, he said good night to Lauren Cruz. "If anyone needs anything before morning, call my intern, Clinton Jones. I've got to get some sleep."

He decided it was too late to bother Neal so he went to spend a rare night in his own apartment. In the morning, Peter felt lonely and resolved that he would get everything straightened out with Neal somehow.

Neal finally gave up on waiting for Peter to call. He jealously wondered if Peter had called Elizabeth instead. He finally finished his third glass of rosé and staggered into bed. He lay awake hoping to hear Peter come in. He finally gave up and jerked off to comfort himself before going to sleep.

In the morning, Neal had both a headache and a heartache. He slowly dressed for work, resisting the impulse to call in sick. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator onto the Oncology floor, he ran into Peter.

Neal tried to brush by him, but Peter grabbed his arm to stop him. "Neal, please. I missed you last night. Today we are going to stop and figure this out. We can't go on like this."

Neal grimaced, "If that's what you want, Peter. Now I have to get to work. Don't get me in trouble for being late."

Jones and Cruz observed the little drama from the Nursing Station. Cruz chided Jones, "What? You've never seen a lovers' spat before?"

They were uncharacteristically subdued when Neal reached them. He looked at them angrily and asked, "What are you two looking at? Did I spill some breakfast on my tie?"

Jones soothed, "Easy Caffrey, don't take it out on your friends."

Neal nodded curtly and buried his face in a medical record. He noted that Amy Harris was going to be discharged. Her radiation therapy was effectively treating her thyroid cancer. Neal was glad she had not submitted to the potentially disfiguring head and neck surgery that Dr. Hagan had proposed and Dr. Hughes had discouraged.

Sara Ellis came on to relieve Lauren Cruz. Neal asked her innocently. "Do you know how many of our patients have had surgery this week?"

She thought for a minute and recalled, "Well, we had six new admissions and I think most of them have either had surgery or are scheduled for some procedure. There are two breast cancers, a prostate, a colon, a lung and a brain tumor."

"How many has Dr. Hagen operated on?" Neal pressed her.

"I'm not sure. Most of them, I think. Neal, he's an oncologic surgeon. That's his specialty," Sara reminded him.

"Yeah, I guess," Neal conceded. Sara remembered, "Oh, Ms. Berrigan asked me to assign one of the breast cancers to you. Her name is Ellen Parker. She's in the room next to Alan Woodford. Here's her medical record."

Neal was intrigued to get a new patient. It helped to get his mind off of his troubles with Peter. When he cheerfully entered his patient's room, he was shocked to see an older version of the woman who had helped to raise him many years ago when he was a small child.

He stammered, "E-Ellen? Is that really you?" I mean, are you really Kathryn Hill who helped to raise me all those years ago?"

Ellen looked at him with surprise and responded, "Danny? Danny Bennett? You're a nurse? I haven't seen you since...."

"I know, since I left without saying goodbye. Oh, Ellen, it is good to see you, but what are you doing here?" Neal exclaimed. "I mean here in New York?"

"Oh, I've lived on Roosevelt Island for a couple of years now. I had no idea you were here. Come sit down and talk to me," she invited.

Neal reminded her gently, "I'm here as your student nurse. That is, if you don't mind. My name is Neal Caffrey now."

"Oh, Caffrey. Now that was an interesting choice, your mother's maiden name." Ellen commented. "Of course I don't mind if you are my nurse. You can still talk to me, can't you?"

"Of course, I can, but first let me take your vital signs and ask you some questions about your medical history." Neal agreed.

"I have breast cancer. Did they tell you?" worried Ellen. "The surgeon is coming in to talk to me this afternoon."

"Is it Dr. Hagan?" asked Neal anxiously. "I'd like to be there when you talk to him."

"Well, that would be fine, Dan - I mean Neal," agreed Ellen. "Now what do you want to ask me?"

Neal took a thorough medical history from his mother's old friend. He tried to keep the conversation on track, with some difficulty. Finally he excused himself to check on his other patients.

Peter looked around for Neal at lunchtime but couldn't find him. He was still feeling troubled about Neal's reaction to him that morning, so he decided to go visit Scott Rivers. Neal seemed to have become pretty good friends with the medical student.

Scott was surprised to see Peter, but grateful for the company. He was already starting to get bored with being a patient. He was even more puzzled when he listened to Peter explain that he couldn't understand why Neal was upset with him.

Scott asked hesitantly, "Well, aren't you going to marry Elizabeth Mitchell? Neal thinks you are going to tell him you can't see him anymore. He was heartbroken when he was in here yesterday."

"What?! No!" Peter sputtered. "I told Elizabeth I was thinking of asking Neal if he wants to live together. Where did he get the idea that I want to break up with him?"

"Well, I think he overheard you talking to her in her office. He said you kissed her and told her you loved her and didn't want to lose her." Scott remembered.

"Oh, for heaven's sake. That little idiot," Peter sighed. "I was breaking up with Elizabeth. I told her I knew our engagement was over, but I would always love her. I meant as my friend."

Scott laughed, "Sounds like you have some 'splaining to do, Dr. Burke. Seriously, though, Neal was really hurt."

"Thank you so much for telling me this, Scott," Peter said sincerely. "I'm going to straighten this out."

"I wish I had someone who was in love with me," sighed Scott. "It must be nice."

Peter teased him, "Have you seen the way Lauren Cruz looks at you?"

Scott laughed, "Yeah, maybe I'll ask her out sometime. You never know. I'm always so busy as a medical student. It's hard to take the time."

Peter admitted, "That's one of the things I like about Neal. We understand each other's careers and even get to work together sometimes. Wish me luck getting him back!"

Neal's day went by quickly. He spent as much time as he could catching up with Ellen. They were both very interested in each other's lives since they had seen last each other years ago. Neal told her briefly about Kate and how her illness and death had inspired him to go to nursing school.

He didn't mention Peter, though, partly because that relationship might be over anyway. That thought still made him feel sick at heart, so he just tried not to think about it.

Late that afternoon, Neal's patient Raquel Laroque started to bleed from her stomach. She vomited blood, blood came pouring through her drain and her suture line began to leak. Dr. Hagan was called and Neal rushed to help prepare Raquel for emergency surgery.

He couldn't believe how much blood she was losing. Dr. Hagan immediately gave an order for her to be typed and cross matched for two units of blood, but they would not be ready until she was in the operating room. Hagan asked Neal if he would like to scrub in and Ms. Berrigan encouraged him to go.

Neal was fascinated with the surgery. This time, once Dr. Hagan staunched the bleeding and sponged the wound, Neal could see the internal organs through the long midline abdominal incision. It took several hours of meticulous work to remove the remaining part of the patient's stomach and hook her esophagus up to her small intestine.

Finally, all the sponges and instruments were counted, the drains and dressings were placed, and Raquel was wheeled to the recovery room. Dr. Hagan dismissed Neal, "Son, you can go now. It will be quite awhile before she wakes up. All I'm going to do is complete her orders."

Neal gratefully accepted since the recovery room nurses didn't seem to want Neal around, and he was exhausted physically and emotionally from assisting with the long operation. He headed wearily for the front door of the hospital and made his way home.

He was surprised to see the lights on in his rooms on the top of the mansion. When he went inside, his friend and landlady June met him and cautioned, "Your handsome doctor friend is waiting for you upstairs. I couldn't discourage him from coming in."

Neal smiled at her fondly, "It's okay, June. I guess I need to talk to him, but thanks for the warning."

When he walked in, Neal found Peter sitting at his table with a beer in his hand and a couple of empties on the table beside him. Neal said curtly without smiling, "Peter. I see you've made yourself at home."

Peter gave him a crooked smile and quipped, "That's what I'd like to do. I'd like to make my home here."

"What? What are you talking about?" Neal objected. "You're going to marry your lovely fiancée Elizabeth."

"What makes you think that?" teased Peter. Neal blustered, "Well, well, because I heard you tell her, that's why!"

Peter asked slyly, "Are you sure that's what you heard? What did I say, Neal?"

“You said you would always love her and you kissed her!" cried Neal. "Why are you being so cruel, Peter. Don't you know I love you?"

When he saw how distressed Neal was, Peter jumped up and put his arms around him and drew him close. He murmured into Neal's soft hair, "I love you, too. Don't you see? I was telling Elizabeth that I couldn't marry her, but I would always care for her and I didn't want to lose her as a friend."

"B-but you said you didn't want to tell me yet. I thought you were going to break up with me," stammered Neal, feeling confused and happy.

"I wasn't going to tell you yet that I want us to live together," Peter smiled gently. "You really shouldn't eavesdrop, Neal."

"Oh Peter," Neal cried. "Oh, I'm so happy. You don't know how hurt I was. I mean, I just couldn't stand for you to leave me. I love you so much."

Peter shushed him with a long deep kiss and Neal clung to him like a life preserver. When they broke their kiss, Neal gave Peter a brilliant smile. He flirted, "I'm afraid I'm going to need you to show me how much you want me."

They began stripping clothes off, returning to kiss and caress and hold each other. Neal buried his face in his Peter's shoulder. He moaned, "Oh, I've been missing you."

Peter stroked his silky hair and kissed the top of his head. "Me, too. I hope you'll come and talk to me if you ever have any doubts about my love."

Neal tugged him toward the bed. He got out some condoms and lube and pressed them into Peter's hand. He urged, "Fuck me now, Peter."

Peter chuckled, "Hey, slow down. How about a little foreplay? I want to make this last."

"Okay, sure," Neal teased hoarsely as he lay back, slowly pumping his swollen cock and looking up at Peter through heavy eyelids. "We can do that right after you fuck me."

"Ooh you!" Peter growled as he rolled over on him and pinned him to the bed. "You're gonna get it now!"

Neal lay back and then flexed his legs up around Peter's waist. He let Peter control him first with his fingers and then with his rock hard rod. He felt as loose as a rag doll afterward as Peter snuggled and petted him. Peter murmured, "So hot. My sweet sexy lover."

Neal breathed, "Only for you. All for you."


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, Neal felt all was right with the world. He could hardly contain his happiness, practically bouncing into work.

Dr. Clinton Jones chuckled, "So, life is beautiful again." Sara and Lauren laughed at the handsome young nursing student's volatile moods, which seemed to be a barometer of his relationship with chief resident Peter Burke. 

Dr. Garrett Fowler grunted, "What's so funny? For God's sake, this a cancer floor, not a comedy club."

Neal diplomatically spoke up, asking, "Dr. Fowler, how is Alan Woodford progressing? Are you planning to give his next dose as scheduled?"

Fowler replied grudgingly, "Yes, I am going to administer a dose this morning. I'd appreciate it if you could assist me since Scott Rivers is still not back."

"I'd be glad to, sir," Neal affirmed. "Do I have time to check on my other patients first?"

"If you make it fast. Meet me in Woodford's room in a half an hour," instructed Fowler.

Neal quickly called his instructor Ms. Berrigan to be sure she approved. She told him she would come and observe or assist as necessary. Even though the physician would be present, administration of chemotherapy was an advanced skill that required precise accuracy.

He went to see Raquel Laroque first. She was still very weak from her total gastrectomy surgery, but she was not nauseated for the first time Neal could remember. He was relieved to see that she had no fever and her dressings were dry. She still had significant pain from the major abdominal surgery and Neal promised to give her the maximum amount of pain medication as ordered.

Ellen Parker was his other patient and he only had time to say hello and take her vital signs, but he promised to return as soon as he could so she could get up to take a shower while he changed her sheets. She gave him a maternal smile and volunteered, "I'm so proud of you, young man. It's wonderful to find you again and see that you are doing so well."

Neal hurried to Woodford's room and got there ahead of Dr. Fowler. Woodford was finally feeling better after his last dose of chemo. He confessed, "I'm really dreading this. I know it's going to knock me flat on my ass again. I sure hope it is working."

Dr. Fowler and Ms. Berrigan arrived and they worked with Neal to mix and infuse the chemo drugs into Alan's IV port. When he complained that the injection burned, they adjusted the rate to slow it down. When they finished, Neal stayed in the room with Alan, covering him with an extra blanket and reassuring him, "Just take it easy now, Alan. You can do this. We're going to kill that cancer and you're going to feel better. Right?"

Alan gave him a weak smile and agreed, "Yeah, I know. I can do it, but it's hard. Thanks for caring, Neal."

Neal patted him and suggested he try to sleep for awhile. He promised to come back right away if Alan pressed the call button. He pulled the door to the room closed to provide a quiet private environment.

Neal dropped by to visit Scott Rivers on his way to lunch. Scott announced proudly, "I'm being discharged tomorrow. Dr. Hagan wants me to stay home for another week, but I figure I'll be back in a couple of days."

Neal looked amused. "Have you even gotten all of your sutures out yet, tough guy?"

"Details," waved Scott with a grin. "All in good time. I hardly have any pain at all now."

"On how much pain medication?" questioned Neal skeptically. "Or are you planning to float through your days on Oncology floor in a pleasant haze?"

"Aw, I'll be down to plain old acetaminophen pretty soon. You watch, I'll be back to work next week!" Scott bragged.

The two friends chatted about their patients and the other nurses and doctors they worked with. Neal gossiped, "Rumor has it that Clinton Jones has a girlfriend, Isabelle Wilson. She works in the social services office. Do you know her?"

Scott whistled. "Oh, tall, sexy, well dressed? Yeah, I know who she is. Wow, good for Jones!" 

"Yep. Now maybe he'll stop paying so much attention to every little problem Peter and I have," Neal suggested hopefully.

"So everything is good again between you two?" Scott checked. "I hope you're not upset that I told him why you were feeling so hurt."

"Oh, so that's how he knew. I wondered," Neal said. "No, I don't mind. I'm just so relieved we got it all cleared up. I guess I just jumped to the wrong conclusion from seeing Peter holding Elizabeth and telling her he loved her."

"I can see how you might think that; but Neal, you should have talked to him about it," Scott advised gently.

"That's what Peter says, but I didn't think there was anything to talk about. I'm just glad I was wrong," Neal sighed.

"How is Elizabeth taking it? Is she heartbroken, too?" Scott wondered.

Neal shook his head. "I don't think so. She's kind of been seeing it coming for awhile. That's why she gave Peter his engagement ring back."

"Well, it amazes me that you all manage to stay friends," Scott admitted. "I don't know if I could do that."

"First we've got to get you well and back to work. Then we've got to find you a girlfriend," teased Neal.

Scott shot back, "And then all I have to do is finish med school and pass my board exams and start my practice. Easy peasy."

Neal laughed and left to grab a quick sandwich before he had to be back on the floor. When he got back from lunch, he went around checking on his patients. When he got to Ellen's room, he was surprised to find her bed empty. 

He headed out to the Nurses Station to find out where she might be. He wasn't aware of any tests or treatments she had scheduled for that day. He decided she must just have decided to take a walk around the hospital. Patients sometimes got restless and Ellen was ambulatory. Her breast cancer was not advanced.

Neal shrugged and went to take Raquel's pain medicine to her. She took it gratefully and he helped her turn over in bed to get more comfortable. He knew she had a long recovery process ahead of her and they still would have to be sure her carcinoma hadn't metastasized to other organs.

He found Alan Woodford huddled under his blankets looking miserable. Neal dropped into the chair by the bedside and asked sympathetically, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Alan looked up at him pitifully, "I don't know. Could you find my headphones so I could listen to some music?"

Neal looked around and found the headphones and gently helped to place them on his patient's head. He smiled, "What would you like to listen to?"

He handed Alan his phone and plugged the headphones into it. He was surprised by Alan's selection of _The Wall_ by Pink Floyd. He shook his head and made a peace sign for Alan. He decided to check Alan's medical record to be sure he was getting enough medication to help his severe side effects from the chemo.

It was only later, when Dr. Hagan couldn't find Ellen for their consultation, that Neal started to worry about her. He wandered into her room and straightened the bedcovers. When he noticed a scrap of paper on her nightstand, he picked it up and read, _"HELP! Sam has me. Please Danny -"_

Neal stared at the note with his own name on it. He rushed out to the Nurses Station and showed the note to Jones and Sara. They were all three huddled puzzling over it when Peter walked up.

Peter greeted them, "Hey, what's everyone so fascinated by? Am I missing out on something?"

Neal moaned, "Oh, Peter, my patient Ellen Parker is missing and I think she left this note. I didn't tell any of you yet, but I knew her a long time ago. Her name was Kathryn Hill then and she was like a surrogate mother to me when my own mom couldn't cope. My name was Danny then."

Everyone stared at Neal and Peter reached out to take the note. His surprise registered on his face. He questioned seriously, "Do you want to tell us what this is all about, Neal?"

"I can't really. I mean, I don't know where Ellen is," Neal considered. "I grew up in the Witness Protection program, though. It was because of a crime my father committed, I think."

Peter moved over and put a protective arm around Neal's shoulder. He stated soberly, "We need to let Hughes and Adler know about this. I'll call Elizabeth first. Neal, you should take this note upstairs to show to Hughes."

Neal added cryptically, "I have to talk to Mozzie, too. I will call him first, then I'll go talk to Dr. Hughes."

Jones suggested, "Maybe we should try to call FBI Agent David Siegel. He would know what to do, I'm sure."

Neal dropped his head into his hands with his arms resting on the desk top. He worried, "I can't believe this. I hope she is not in danger. I think I might know who Sam is, but I don't know why he would take her."


	12. Chapter 12

The rest of the afternoon was a whirlwind. Neal told his story to Mozzie, Hughes, Adler, and finally, David Siegel. He described growing up in the WitSec program with his mom and Kathryn Hill and running away as a teen and changing his name when he discovered that his father, James Bennett, was a murderer. He explained that he had only reunited by chance with the woman who now called herself Ellen Parker a few days before when she checked into the hospital for breast cancer surgery.

Neal confessed that they'd had little chance to talk, and when they did, it was about his mother and memories from his childhood. He knew there was a man named Sam Phelps, who was a former partner of his father's, as Kathryn Hill had also been. He had no idea why Sam woukd take Ellen, though. The note led everyone to believe that it was against her will.

No commotion had been noted that day and no one could pinpoint exactly when she left the hospital. Neal had last seen her shortly before noon when he had changed the sheets on her bed while she showered. She did not seem to be in any distress at that time. He had discussed the need for surgery for her breast cancer with her.

Dr. Hagan was determined to a do a mastectomy, although Neal knew there was much evidence to show that was unnecessary. Ellen had been undecided. She naturally was eager to be sure all of the cancer was excised and it was hard to go against the advice of her surgeon. She had promised Neal she would think about it. He suggested that she ask for a second opinion.

Mozzie had provided detailed statistics to show that between ten to thirty percent of all surgeries done in the US were unnecessary, and breast cancer surgery was among the top examples. Such operations were performed because of financial incentive, fear of malpractice suits, and resistance to revising traditional protocols. National guidelines had been developed to combat the problem, but compliance was voluntary.

By the time Neal and Peter got home late that night, Neal was a nervous wreck. He felt scared and angry and even guilty about what had happened to Ellen. When he emptied the content of his pockets onto the table, he was surprised to see a small key there. He called Peter over and puzzled, "I have no idea where that came from. I don't have a key like that."

Peter picked it up and examined it. He concluded, "Neal, this is a safety deposit box key. It is not of any use unless you know which bank it is in."

Neal groaned, "Oh no. How do you think I got it? I swear I've never seen it before."

Peter speculated, "Is it possible your friend Ellen could have slipped it into your pocket without telling you? If she knew she was in danger, maybe she gave it to you for safekeeping."

"Without telling me?" Neal questioned. "Why wouldn't she have just told me she was giving it to me?"

"I don't know, Neal, but you have to admit there is a lot of mystery surrounding her," reminded Peter.

"Yeah, especially where is she now. Oh, Peter, I wasn't trying to find anyone from my past, but it was good to see her. She was the one steady caring adult in my childhood," mourned Neal. "She seemed proud that I'm becoming a nurse."

Peter put his arms around Neal and pulled him close. He kissed the side of his forehead and whispered, "Come on, beautiful, let's go to bed and try to get some sleep. Okay?"

Neal docily followed him to bed and curled against him. Peter held him, but Neal's sleep was restless and filled with confusing dreams. He was haunted by visions of his mother and his father and his father's partners; his feelings of shock and confusion when he discovered his father was a prisoner in jail for murder, rather than a dead hero policeman; and threatening images of Ellen in trouble now, held against her will.

Neal woke up early, barely refreshed. He fingered the key that he'd found in his pocket. He showered and dressed and fixed breakfast while Peter did the same. Peter tried to keep the conversation light to keep Neal's mind off his distress. 

Peter's phone buzzed in his pocket and Neal heard him express his shock at the news he was receiving. "Really? She is? How is that possible? Okay. Well, Neal and I will come over right away. Right. Does Agent Siegel know yet? Uh huh, okay. See you in a few."

Neal was hovering anxiously at Peter's elbow trying to hear the conversation. He looked at Peter expectantly as soon as he ended the call. He asked urgently, "What is it? What has happened? Did they find Ellen? Is she all right?"

Peter nodded and steadied Neal with his hands on his shoulders. He explained slowly, "Yes, Ellen has been found."

"Well, is she okay? Peter, tell me!" demanded Neal. "What did you find out?"

Peter squeezed Neal's shoulders and looked at him sadly. "She is back in her hospital bed. Pierce Spelman was on night shift and found her there this morning. But Neal, she has been badly beaten. She's unconscious."

"What?! How is that possible? How did she get back into her hospital bed?" Neal exclaimed.

"That's just it. We don't know," Peter sighed, shaking his head in puzzlement. "Pierce didn't see anyone bring Ellen in and neither did anyone else. Pierce just found her in her bed this morning when she made her final rounds checking on all of the patients on the floor."

Neal stood there dumbfounded, trying to process what he was hearing. He stammered, "B-but is she going to be okay? You said she was beaten up."

"I don't know," Peter replied softly. "Let's go over to the hospital now and see."

When they got there, they found Vincent Adler, Reese Hughes, Curtis Hagan, Sara Ellis and Diana Berrigan all talking with Agent David Siegel and another agent. Pierce had gone home and Lauren was trying to manage the morning routine of caring for the patients. Peter immediately tried to assist her and Dr. Clinton Jones in reviewing all the patients' medical records and orders. 

Then Peter went to Ellen Parker's room to observe her condition, while Neal was waylaid by the other group. He was met at the door by one of Siegel's FBI agents, who checked his ID before allowing him in to see her. Peter was saddened to see the older woman badly bruised and still unconscious. He checked her vital signs himself and made sure her IV was running properly. 

Neal joined him as Siegel allowed everyone to return to work. Peter saw the tears brimming in Neal's eyes and squeezed his shoulder again. He asked Neal, "Did you show Agent Siegel the key you found in your pocket last night?"

Neal shook his head. He admitted, "I just wanted to come see how Ellen was. She looks badly hurt, doesn't she, Peter?"

Dr. Hagan entered the room and proclaimed, "Indeed she does. Her CT scan shows she has a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which I'm sure you know is life threatening. I'm going to take her to the OR right away."

Neal gasped, "But...a subarachnoid hemorrhage! How did you get a CT scan so quickly? Shouldn't she have a neurosurgeon, Dr. Hagan?"

"She was lucky I got here soon after she was found. At least she is still alive. I can operate right away, but there is no neurosurgeon available for several hours. As you know, time is of the essence," Hagan explained briskly. "I'm going to try to save my patient's life, Mr. Caffrey."

"W-Well, yes, of course," Neal said slowly. "Could I scrub in with you?"

"Not this time, Mr. Caffrey. You're too close to the patient. I'm sorry. Dr. Burke, I could use your assistance, though, if you can make yourself available," Dr. Hagan requested.

Peter saw Neal's eyes pleading with him and responded, "Let me ask Dr. Hughes if it is all right. I suppose Dr. Jones can cover for me here."

Neal helped to prep Ellen for her brain surgery and tried to tell her she would be okay, even if he didn't think she could hear him in her unconscious state. He leaned over and lightly kissed her cheek as they wheeled her away on a stretcher.

At the Nurses Station, things had calmed down somewhat. Ms. Berrigan suggested that Neal take the day off, but he didn't want to wait alone at home to hear about Ellen, so he insisted he could still look in on his other patients.

When he entered Alan Woodford's room, the man looked at him miserably and complained bitterly, "If I'm going to feel this bad, maybe I should just go ahead and die now. I'm going to die anyway."

Neal confided quietly, "You know, everyone dies eventually, Alan, but I think you have a lot left to live for. A friend of mine may die this morning, not from the cancer she has or the treatment for it, but from a completely unexpected cause."

"Really?" Alan commiserated. "I'm sorry, Neal. I know I don't want to die right now. I'm just feeling sorry for myself."

"Alan, we need you to fight back against this cancer. You've got to be stronger than your cancer and your chemo. I believe you can survive this if you try, but you can't just give up," Neal pleaded while he checked his patient's vitals and adjusted his IV rate.

Alan smile weakly, "Thanks for the pep talk, Neal. I really am trying. Can you find my phone and give it to me? I'm going to try to call my office this morning."

Neal gave him a big grin, "That's the spirit! Here's your phone, but don't overdo it, okay? Use the call bell if you need me for anything. Otherwise I'll be back to check on you in a little while."

He found Raquel Laroque feeling better. Neal told her they were going to start feeding her through her temporary feeding tube. She joked, "I guess I won't be able to taste anything. Where's the fun in that?"

Neal laughed and offered to bring her a lemon breath lozenge she could suck on just for the flavor. He went to prepare her feeding and then asked Ms. Berrigan to accompany him since he hadn't given a tube feeding before.

When they had finished, there was still no word from the OR about Ellen so Neal went to see if Scott Rivers was still in the hospital. He was, but he was anxiously waiting for Dr. Hagan to come write his discharge orders so he could go home. He had a fellow med student waiting to take him when he was ready.

Neal briefly explained what had happened overnight with Ellen, telling the story of his childhood in WitSec once again. He pointed out that Dr. Hagan wouldn't be coming to see Scott until after he was out of surgery.

Scott was fascinated and asked a lot of questions about the strange situation. He also questioned, "Who was the night nurse that found Ellen this morning? I don't think I know her."

Neal laughed, "Oh, Pierce Spelman. Wait til you meet her, friend. She may just be the one true love you're looking for."

The conversation with Scott helped to take Neal's mind off his fear temporarily, but when he returned to the Oncology floor, Sara was waiting for him with bad news. She reached out to touch Neal as she told him gently, "We just had a call from OR. Dr. Hagan wasn't able to save your friend, Ellen. I'm sorry, Neal."

Neal looked away and blinked back tears. He straightened his shoulders and replied, "Thank you for telling me, Sara. Do you know when Peter will be back up here?"

She smiled sadly, "He said to tell you he's on his way here now. Neal, I don't think you know this, but yesterday before she disappeared, Ellen named you as her next of kin on her paperwork."

"What? No. She didn't tell me that. Are you sure?" Neal asked in confusion. He suddenly remembered the key she had slipped into his pocket. He wondered if he was going to find out what it opened.

Peter arrived then and swept Neal into his arms. He pulled him into the medication room and nuzzled his hair and stroked his back. He asked lovingly, "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Neal felt his tears welling up again. He clung to Peter and said gratefully, "I'm glad you're here, Peter. It's so hard because I just found her again and now she's gone. We barely had a chance to talk."

"I know. It's not fair. Life is hard to understand sometimes," Peter sympathized, backing off a bit so he could look into Neal's face.

Neal remembered, "Sara just told me that Ellen made me her next of kin yesterday before she disappeared."

Peter looked concerned. "I wonder if that puts you in any danger. You know that key she gave you may lead to something important. I think you need to tell David Siegel about it."

Sara walked in and overheard the last of their conversation. She announced, "Agent Siegel is here now, as a matter of fact. He was just informed of Ellen's death."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/18/unnecessary-surgery-usa-today-investigation/2435009/  
> "Doctors Perform Thousands of Unnecessary 
> 
> http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/21/unnecessary-breast-cancer-treatment/1719003/  
> "Study: Many Getting Unnecessary Breast Cancer Treatment"


	13. Chapter 13

Neal greeted Agent Davis Siegel with a sad smile. Siegel gave him a sympathetic look as he explained, "This case just went from a kidnapping to a murder. I'm sorry. I know the victim was a friend of yours and you are listed as next of kin. Is there anything else you can think of that might help us, Neal?"

Neal pulled the small key from his pocket and confessed, "I forgot to show you this earlier. I believe Ellen slipped it into my pocket yesterday without my knowledge. I have no idea what it opens, but Peter thought it might be a safety deposit box at a bank."

Siegel took the key and examined it. "That's a good guess, but there is no indication of which bank. Neal, we'll send someone to Ellen's home to search it and we'll allow you to look at anything that might be relevant. Later, when her things are no longer needed for evidence, they will be given to you."

"Y-yes, maybe you can find a will or bank documents. I've never been to her home and I hadn't seen her in many years, so I have no idea what she had," Neal volunteered.

Sara suggested that Neal go home, so he quickly went to tell his patients Raquel Laroche and Alan Woodford that he would see them the next day. He was glad to see they both were doing as well as could be expected. He stopped back by the Nurses Station to call Ms. Berrigan to let her know he was leaving.

Neal was amused to notice David Siegel flirting with Sara Ellis. He could picture them together as an attractive couple. He fleetingly remembered that he wanted to introduce Scott Rivers to Pierce Spelman, but then he felt a little bit guilty because he knew Lauren Cruz had a crush on Scott, too.

Peter promised he would come to Neal's place as soon as he could get away from the hospital. He would catch Neal up then on any further information he could pick up about Ellen's disappearance and attack. He offered to go with Neal when Agent Siegel located the bank with the safe deposit box.

When Neal got home, he filled June in on the situation. She was concerned that Neal might be at risk himself because of the key Ellen had given him and she made him promise to be cautious. A little while later, when Neal was sulking in his rooms, June sent up a plate of cookies for him.

Neal smiled and his mood improved. Though his own mother was dead and he had just lost a significant mother substitute, he still had a very maternal June looking after him. When Mozzie arrived a little while later, they munched on the cookies appreciatively as they mulled over the recent events.

Mozzie's natural interest in conspiracy theories was revved up and he was full of proposals for how Ellen could have been taken from the hospital and then returned without being noticed. He remembered that there were security cameras on the first floor of the hospital and outside on the street, but Neal assured him that the FBI already knew that.

When Peter came, Neal explained to both of them why he suspected that Sam Phelps might be involved. He told them that his father had been convicted of murder, partly because of Ellen's testimony against him, but the others in the police corruption ring that he had been part of had never been arrested.

Neal was pretty sure that Sam was involved in that and he thought Ellen must have known it. When Agent Siegel helped them find the safe deposit box the following day, his theory looked even more likely. The box contained a little jewelry, a hand gun, and some evidence of the corruption scheme.

They realized that Sam must have beaten Ellen in an attempt to get the key that she had surreptitiously slipped to Neal earlier that day. When she could not produce it, he must have returned her to the hospital, thinking they would save her life. If she survived his vicious beating, maybe he could still find a way to discover where she had hidden the evidence.

The question they all had was whether there was any way Sam could suspect that Ellen had given it to Neal. Had he discovered that Neal was a student nurse and that he and Ellen had met up again? Given Sam's ability to move around the hospital undetected, that seemed quite likely.

Mozzie suggested that Sam probably worked at the hospital in some capacity, giving him cover in that environment. They decided to contact Elizabeth for a list of everyone who worked at the hospital. They could ask Agent Siegel and his team to check out all the men and see if any of them might be Sam Phelps, possibly under another name.

Neal returned to work after another day and was assigned to another new patient who had prostate cancer. Neal was excited to discover that the man was a US Senator named Terrance Pratt. He tried not to be nervous as he made the man comfortable and explained the course of radiation therapy that was prescribed for him by Dr. Hughes.

Neal was surprised to see Dr. Hagan at the Nurses Station studying Senator Pratt's medical record. He commented, "This is not a surgical case, is it, Dr Hagan?" Hagan gave him a wide grin and replied, "Neal, you know a chance to cut is a chance to cure!"

Neal called Mozzie who was still investigating Hagan's record for excessive operating. Mozzie exclaimed, "Holy prostate! We can't let Hagan butcher a US Senator. That would ruin this hospital's reputation. Perhaps it's time for me to bring Vincent Adler in on this."

It was Scott's first day back to work and he was a little jealous that Neal had gotten assigned to Senator Pratt. He shared Neal's concern about Dr. Hagan, though. They tried to discuss the case with Clinton Jones, but his mind seemed to be somewhere else. 

When Neal challenged, "Dr. Jones, earth calling Dr. Jones. I though you were worried about Dr. Hagan performing unnecessary and inappropriate surgery."

"Oh, I am, Neal. I'm still suspicious that your friend Ellen might have been saved if Hagan had let a neurosurgeon treat her instead of rushing her into surgery," Jones admitted. "I'm just having trouble keeping my mind on work today. I had a hot date last night that kept me up late."

As they were conferring, social services worker Isabelle Wilson came sashaying down the hall. She stopped and looked up at Jones flirtatiously and batted her lush lashes. "I sure had a nice time last night, Clinton." 

He gave her a goofy smile. As soon as Isabelle went into a patient's room, Neal and Scott teased him mercilessly. Scott moaned, "Now I'm the only guy around here who's not in love."

Neal laughed and joked, "I've got a surprise for you. Pierce is back working day shifts again. Have you seen her yet?"

Scott took a mock swing at him. He sighed, "Somebody has to do the work around here. Jones, are you ready to make rounds and catch me up on the patients since I've been gone?"

Neal spent a busy morning working with his patients and then found Peter for lunch. They joined Elizabeth in the cafeteria. Whatever resentment Elizabeth felt for Neal had been replaced with sympathy for his sad childhood and Ellen's death just when they were reunited. She smiled at him gently, "How are you holding up, Neal?"

He ducked his head and replied shyly, "Oh, I guess I'm okay. I'll feel better when we get all this mystery cleared up." He turned to Peter and inquired, "Did you know Cutter Hagan was looking over Senator Pratt's medical record this morning? I got the feeling he would like to operate on him."

Elizabeth cut in, "Oh, Haversham alerted Vincent about that this morning. Vincent told him to bring his previous research on Hagan to a meeting this afternoon."

Neal said hesitantly, "Clinton said this morning that he thought Ellen might have survived if Hagan hadn't rushed her into surgery instead of waiting for a neurosurgeon."

Peter responded, "Well, we'll never know, but it's true that there are nonsurgical techniques now for treating cerebral hemorrhages. That part of the problem. It's hard to prove that any given operation was unnecessary or unwise."

"But if Ellen could have lived," an anguished Neal mourned, "she could have told us what happened."

"Not necessarily, Neal," Peter cautioned. "She had a severe head injury. She could have been left with considerable brain damage."

"Oh, I would never want that for her," Neal concurred. "I see what you mean. We can never know what her future might have been."

Elizabeth broke in, "I gave the hospital personnel files to the FBI. I think they may be interested in one of the maintenance men. Neal, could you identify a photo of Sam Phelps?"

"No, I wouldn't even recognize my own father. I was only three years old the last time I saw him," Neal confessed. "The only photo I ever saw of him was one in his police uniform from a long time ago."

The three friends finished their lunch in companionable silence and returned to work. Just before Neal finished his shift, Agent Siegel showed up with some new information. Neal noticed how David's eyes lit up when he saw Sara Ellis. He took a minute to go over and say hello to her before he met with Neal.

Neal smiled at him and teased, "Bet you never thought being a cancer patient in the hospital would ever lead to all this."

David grinned, "No, I sure didn't. I never realized nurses and doctors lived such exciting lives."

"Well, not usually the kind of excitement and mystery we've had lately," protested Neal. "Have you found out who took Ellen yet?"

"We have a lead, I think, but it's a bit perplexing," David related. "We found a Sam Phelps on the hospital maintenance staff. However, when we ran a profile for Sam Phelps through our database, we discovered that he died a year ago in Miami, Florida."

"Oh, well, who is this maintenance man then?" Neal asked, perplexed by the information.

"It turns out his real name is James Bennett, Neal," Siegel said, watching him carefully.

"B-but that, that's my father!" Neal stammered. "How is that possible? Does he know I'm here?"

"Whoa, let's take one question at a time," Siegel cautioned. "Bennett got out of prison after he had served his time. He assumed the identity of Sam Phelps in order to get hired here. We don't know yet if he realizes you are here, but he must have noticed that Ellen was admitted."

"So you believe he killed her? But why?" Neal cried, feeling confused and conflicted.

"Well, we don't know if he was the killer, but we suspect he was involved. It probably has something to do with the evidence that Ellen left you," Siegel explained.

Neal was silent, as he tried to comprehend everything that was happening. He had found Ellen. His father, who had been posing as Sam, had found Ellen. His father might have found Neal, too.

David Siegel continued calmly, "There's one more thing, Neal. When we looked into your father's old police corruption ring, we discovered something interesting. The captain of his unit at that time was Terrence Pratt."

Neal's eyes widened as he questioned, "The Senator? He was my father's police captain? Do you know Senator Pratt is my patient now? Does my father know the Senator is a patient here?"

"All very good questions, Neal, and we don't know the answers yet," David admitted. "I wanted to warn you."

"Warn me? Am I in danger, David?" Neal asked. He was stunned as he processed what he had just learned. "Is the Senator in danger?"

"We're putting a guard on him," Siegel acknowledged. "Neal, we are not sure where James Bennett is right now. But when we find him, do you want to see him?"

Neal gasped and blurted, "Oh, I, I'm not sure. Oh, David, I need to get out of here. I need to think."

David patted his arm kindly and suggested, "Let's find Peter and see if he can go with you."

Neal nodded, looking down. He felt confused and ashamed. He didn't really want to see his father, but he didn't want to believe his father had killed Ellen, either. Did his father really know that Neal was working in the same hospital? Had he been watching him? If so, for how long? 

He was still lost in thought when Peter came up and laid a hand on his shoulder. He urged gently, "Come on, Neal. Let me take you home."


	14. Chapter 14

Once they were home, Peter and Neal continued to speculate about Neal's father and recent events at the hospital until Peter finally suggested kindly, "Neal, why don't you take off your shirt and lie down. I'll give you a back rub to help you relax."

"Mmm, that's just what I need. I feel so tense," Neal agreed appreciatively. "All this is just so emotional for me. Peter, I really don't know if I want to see my father or not."

Peter began kneading the tight neck and shoulder muscles of his stressed out lover. He soothed, "I know. It's all been too much to process. So many things have happened in such a short period of time. I'm just glad you haven't shut me out."

Neal rolled over and rose up to kiss him. "And I'm just glad you're being so understanding."

Peter's phone buzzed and he reluctantly answered it. He listened and queried, "Can't my intern Dr. Jones handle it? Well, could I speak to him? Clinton? What's the big problem? I'm here with Neal.... Oh, alright then. Okay, I'll be there soon. Do you think Neal should come, too? Well, I'll ask him."

Neal was waiting, nervously listening in. Peter turned to him and explained, "Haversham had his meeting with Adler about Curtis Hagan. Dr. Hughes and Dr. Fowler are there. They want me to go over some cases with them. I'd like to have you there with me, if you feel up to it."

"Sure. That is important and it will help get my mind off of my problems," Neal consented.

They stopped on the Oncology floor to gather the patient records that they needed. Dr. Jones and Scott Rivers encouraged them, "Lay it all out there for them. Dr. Hagan is an excellent surgeon, but he is entirely too eager to perform surgery when other methods might work better. He needs to be reigned in."

Peter noticed that Senator Pratt's medical record did not seem to be there. He suggested, "Neal, you gather up the rest of the records and I'll run and check if Pratt is in his room."

Just after Peter disappeared into the Senator's room, a large grey haired, blue eyed man in a maintenance uniform walked up and asked which room the Senator was in. Neal turned to look at him and dropped the arm load of folders he was holding. He stared in shock into the face of the man he knew must be James Bennett.

Bennett looked equally surprised to see Neal there. He stammered, "D-Danny, is that you, son?"

Neal backed up slowly with a hand out in front of him. He replied in a trembling voice, "I don't know you...."

His father looked at him sadly and admitted, "I know you don't, but I'd like to change that."

Neal asked ominously, "What happened to Ellen? Did you hurt her? Do you know how she died?"

"I had nothing to do with that, son. You've got to believe me. It was Pratt. He's the one who wanted the evidence you found. It incriminates him," James claimed.

Scott had quietly slipped around behind James. As James began to advance toward Neal, Scott grabbed the larger man's arm and twisted it firmly behind his back. He warned, "That's far enough, Mr. Bennett. I believe the FBI wants to talk with you."

Neal scrambled to pick up the folders he had dropped and Clinton Jones pulled out his phone and called Agent David Siegel. Suddenly Pierce Spelman walked out of a patient's room and approached the Nurses Station.

Scott stared at the pretty blonde nurse and loosened his grip on James just enough for him to twist away. As he ran down the hall toward the elevator, he called out, "Neal, I still want to talk to you. I didn't kill Ellen!"

Neal sagged into a chair. He wryly introduced Scott and Pierce, adding, "I've been wanting you two to meet, but this wasn't exactly the best timing."

"Maybe it's just as well. Agent Siegel is at his office. He's going to come over here now. Maybe he'll still be able to locate Bennett," Jones pointed out.

Neal complimented, "Hey Scott, that was some smooth move you made there, pinning James's arm back like that!"

Scott acknowledged proudly, "Well, I am a martial arts student. I know a few moves for subduing an aggressor."

Pierce looked up at him admiringly, "Do you think he was intending to do harm to someone, Scott?"

"Well, we don't know what he wanted. He could have been involved in Ellen's abduction and murder. He seemed to have some grievance with Senator Pratt. He was moving toward Neal. Who knows what he might have done?" Jones answered.

Peter returned from the Senator's room shaking his head. "You won't believe this," he announced. "Dr. Hagan already consulted with the Senator and gave him the consent forms to sign. Come on, Neal, we need to get to that meeting with Adler."

Neal shook his head, "No Peter, you go. I can't do it right now. You can tell me about it later. There are a few things I want to try to find out first, about Ellen and my father and Senator Pratt."

Peter frowned, but acquiesced, "Okay, but take it easy, buddy. Don't push too hard until Agent Siegel gets here in case you need help."

Neal nodded and started toward the Senator's room. He caught Scott's eye as he noticed the continuing sparks between Scott and Pierce and winked at him. He sang in his best Deano voice, "Everybody loves somebody sometime...."

Jones laughed, "Watch yourself, Caffrey! No singing in the halls, now. This is a serious place of business, caring for our patients with cancer."

Neal's eyes twinkled as he retorted, "That's not what you told Isabelle, Casanova!"

He became serious as he entered Terrance Pratt's room. He never saw what hit him as something smashed across his forehead and he slid to the floor unconscious.

Sometime later, Agent Siegel came to the Oncology floor to follow up on the phone call from Jones. After asking questions of Jones and his medical student, David decided he should attend the meeting in Adler's office. He ordered his agents to search the hospital for James Bennett.

Jones tore Scott away from Pierce to make rounds. Scott mentioned, "We should save the Senator for last so we give Neal enough time to finish questioning him."

When they finally entered Pratt's room, they found the Senator asleep in his bed and Neal lying on the floor rubbing his face. Scott ran to Neal to check his pulse. He could see an ugly bruise forming on his forehead where he had been hit.

Jones immediately checked the Senator to be sure he was all right. Pratt blinked and looked around and asked, "What happened to my nursing student? Did he run into the door?"

Jones asked sharply, "You didn't see or hear anything? Are you sure nothing disturbed your sleep?"

Senator Pratt swore, "No, that Dr. Burke who was in here earlier gave me something to help me sleep. I was out like a light."

Jones and Scott gave each other puzzled looks. Jones ordered, "Scott, get Neal out of here and then see if he remembers anything. I'll be there as soon as I check to be sure the Senator is okay."

When Jones joined Scott and Neal at the Nurses Station, he found Neal confused but willing to admit that he might have just run into the door. He couldn't remember anything. Jones asked Pierce to pull Pratt's medical record and give it to him, but Scott reminded them them that Peter had taken it to the meeting about Hagan.

That renowned surgeon walked up as they were talking and asked, "What's all this about a meeting about me? Who is having this meeting and what is it about?"

Jones asked suspiciously, "Dr. Hagan, when saw you visited Senator Pratt earlier, did you prescribe a sedative for him?"

"No, of course not," Hagan replied haughtily. "Why would I do something like that?" He noticed Scott still carefully supporting the dazed Neal and questioned, "What happened to Nurse Caffrey?"

Scott let go of Neal's arm and he promptly slid to the floor and sat there looking dazed. Scott mumbled, "Uh, he had an accident. Come on, Neal. I'm going to take you to the waiting room where you can sit and wait for Peter to get back."

Hagan asked suspiciously, "Where is Dr. Burke anyway? And where are my patients' medical records?"

Jone suggested, "Dr. Hagan, perhaps you should go see if Dr. Hughes is in his office."

Hagan huffed, "I think I'll do just that, Dr. Jones. There's something funny going on around here. I trust our patients are in good hands here with you and Nurse Pierce."

Lauren Cruz showed up for her evening shift and asked, "What was that all about and why is Neal sitting in the waiting room?"

Pierce volunteered excitedly, "Hagan is being investigated for excessive unnecessary surgeries. Neal's father was here and then Neal hit his head on the door to Senator Pratt's room when he went to ask him some questions. Somebody sedated the Senator, but we don't who. Agent Siegel is here looking into everything."

Lauren looked puzzled. "What about the med student Scott Rivers? I saw him with Neal."

"Oh yeah. Isn't he hot? He knows martial arts, too!" gushed Pierce, tossing her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder.

Lauren muttered, "Oh sure, he's cute. Help me check on the patients and get their vital signs so you can finish your shift and go home."

Pierce noticed Scott coming back toward the Nurses Station with Neal and Peter. Following them were Haversham and Agent Siegel. She asserted spiritedly, "Not a chance I'm leaving now! I want to find out what happens next."

Lauren rolled her eyes and reminded, "Well, we are here to take care of our patients, remember."

Agent Siegel asked to meet with Neal and Senator Pratt. Peter insisted that he come with them. Scott gave Pierce a dazzling smile and then offered to make rounds with Dr. Jones.

To their surprise, when Agent Siegel entered the Senator's room with Neal and Peter, James Bennett was standing over him with a threatening look. The Senator suddenly shoved James back and emerged from under the bedcovers fully clothed. He pulled out a concealed handgun and threatened, "Everyone get out of my way."

Peter bravely but foolishly stepped in front of Senator Pratt as he tried to escape the room. David Siegel focused his attention on detaining James Bennett. The Senator grabbed Neal and pointed the gun at him. He warned, "Everyone get out of my way. None of you can prove I've done anything wrong!"

Bennett shouted, "Son, get down! Now!" He dodged David Siegel and launched himself at Senator Pratt. The sound of a gunshot was heard and everyone froze in place. 

Pierce and Scott ran to the Senator's room and stopped in shock at the doorway. Siegel barked sharply, "Nobody move!"


	15. Chapter 15

Everyone froze in place. Then Pierce let out a loud gasp as Senator Pratt sank to the floor, bleeding profusely from an abdominal wound. Peter had grabbed his arm to stop him from shooting Neal and the gun had gone off.

Suddenly, everyone sprang into action. Siegel handcuffed Bennett as Peter, Neal and Scott attended the Senator. Pierce ran to the Nurses Station to call a code and send for a stretcher. Dr. Jones and Nurse Cruz came running, closely followed by Dr. Hughes and Dr. Hagan.

Haversham quickly called Elizabeth Mitchell to let her know what was happening. Vincent Adler showed up minutes later, demanding to know every detail. Agent Siegel quickly filled him in as the physicians and nurses desperately tried to save Senator Pratt's life. They succeeded in stabilizing him sufficiently to load him onto the stretcher and rush him to the operating room so Dr. Hagan could operate.

Peter and Scott protectively guided a stunned Neal into an empty room and insisted that he lie down so they could examine him and be sure he hadn't been injured. As Siegel and another agent escorted James Bennett off the Oncology floor, they passed by the room Neal was in. Bennett pleaded, "Son, please. We need to talk."

Neal shuddered. Peter was concerned that Neal had hit his head harder than he had admitted earlier and insisted that he lie still until they could get a CT scan. Scott went to call Radiology to set it up.

Haversham conferred with Drs. Hughes and Fowler and Administrator Adler about how to handle Dr. Hagan's case. They all agreed that he was a bit too eager to resort to extensive surgery, but they also unanimously believed that he was a gifted surgeon. Adler felt that giving him a strong warning and requiring him to take some refresher courses would be sufficient.

Haversham lamented, "Even if you report him to the Board of Medicine, that's probably all they will do anyway."

Fowler pointed out, "Yes, but then the report will be on his record so anyone can see it. That's only fair to other hospitals and patients who might become involved with him."

Hughes added, "I think we'd better subject all his cases to peer review, too; at least until he finishes his extra courses. That way, someone else would have to agree that a surgical procedure is indicated."

Agent Siegel returned to ask how the Senator was doing, but there was no word from the OR yet. He disclosed that James Bennett had been taken in for interrogation and would be detained at least overnight. No one was really sure yet who had kidnapped Ellen or why Bennett had been in Pratt's room. 

Siegel hoped they would be able to obtain some information from Pratt if he recovered from his wounds. In the meantime, he explained, "I need to question Peter Burke and Neal Caffrey as witnesses so we can clear Peter of the shooting. It's just a formality. He's not really a suspect. We're looking at it as an accidental occurrence."

"I certainly hope so!" Reese Hughes harrumphed. "Burke probably saved Caffrey's life!"

"Not that anyone should be surprised by that," muttered Garrett Fowler. "Those two certainly manage to get themselves into enough trouble."

The two senior attending physicians and Vincent Adler returned to their offices, leaving Jones and Cruz in charge of the Oncology floor again. Haversham hovered around, anxiously waiting for word about his friend Neal.

When Peter emerged from examining Neal, Agent Siegel asked him when he could question them. Peter frowned, "Well, I will be glad to talk to you, but I don't think Neal should be asked anything until we check his CT results. I'm not sure how severe his head injury is."

"Oh, I didn't realize he was hurt," David responded. Peter explained that the injury had occurred prior to the shooting, when Neal had gone to interview the Senator and ended up knocked out on the floor. Siegel wondered, "Are you sure that he ran into the door, or do you suppose either Pratt or Bennnet might have hit him?"

Haversham piped up, "Well, I should think that's obvious. Neal does not just go around walking into doors."

Peter asked Pierce if she would check on Neal for him while Peter was being questioned by Agent Siegel. When he returned, she informed him breezily, "Oh, I just gave Neal some Percocet. He was complaining of a terrible headache."

Peter cried, "What? Who gave an order for that? Acetaminophen would have been fine, but he shouldn't have had a narcotic until we were sure of his diagnosis."

"Oops," Pierce said meekly. "I asked Scott if it would be okay to give Neal something for pain and he said to go ahead."

Peter found Scott in Alan Woodford's room and beckoned for him to come out into the hall. When he questioned him about ordering pain medicine for Neal, Scott shook his head. "No, I just agreed that Pierce could give him something for pain. I didn't mean a narcotic. I'm just a medical student, Peter."

Peter shook his head and went to see how Neal was feeling. Neal appeared to be asleep until he heard Peter enter the room. Then he looked over and motioned Peter to come to him. He babbled, "Hey there. I'm feeling better. Think I'm gonna be okay now. Thanks for keeping Pratt from shooting me."

In spite of his frustration, Peter smiled fondly at his lover and rubbed his arm. He replied gently, "Yeah, okay, buddy. Just lie back and take it easy now. I'm going to go see if your CT results are back yet."

He asked Haversham to go in and stay with Neal, so he wouldn't get into any further trouble. Neal greeted Mozzie enthusiastically and admitted, "Pierce gave me something for pain and I'm a little high. She's pretty, isn't she? I think Scott likes her. She likes him, too. Hey, did you know my dad was here, Mozzie? He wants to talk to me. Do you think I should talk to him?"

Mozzie chuckled, "I think you'd better stay right where you are for awhile, mon frere. We can talk it all over later."

Neal sank gratefully back to sleep until Peter returned sometime later with the news that his skull was not fractured and there was no sign of serious brain injury. He suggested, "Mozzie, let's get Neal home. Can you give me a hand getting him to my car?"

Just before they left, Scott came in and notified them that Senator Pratt had died despite Cutter Hagan's best efforts. The bullet had fatally torn through his liver. Haversham cracked, "Well, his prostate cancer won't kill him now."

Peter snapped, "Have a little respect. We still don't even know what his involvement in all this really was."

Neal mumbled, "Can we go home now? I'm really tired. At least my head doesn't hurt anymore."

Once they were home, Peter helped a very relaxed Neal get himself undressed and into bed. Then he took a shower to wash away the cares of the day before he climbed in next to him. To Peter's surprise, Neal was aroused and waiting for him. He kissed Peter sexily and rubbed his hot swollen cock against him. 

Peter responded with renewed energy. He kissed him back hungrily and then pulled Neal over to lie on top of him. He cuddled him and nipped kisses around his face and neck. He teased his hard erect nipples until Neal was squirming and grinding against him. Peter positioned them so their erections rode over each other and reached a hand down to enclose them.

Peter laughed at Neal's enthusiastic response and took his time stroking and lightly pulling on their cocks until passion overcame them both. Neal cried out as he came in a wave of pleasure. Peter's warm semen mixed with Neal's as they shot out from his grasp. The two of them lay still catching their breath until Peter moved to swipe them off with the edge of the sheet. Then he spooned comfortably around Neal to hold him close while they slept.

In the morning, Neal felt surprisingly refreshed in spite of the dark purplish bruise that had formed over one of his clear blue eyes. Peter gave him a soft kiss and asked solicitously, "Feeling okay today?"

Neal jokingly batted his lashes and beamed up at Peter, "My hero. You saved my life."

"Aw, it wasn't as dramatic as all that," demurred Peter, pleased in spite of himself and relieved that Neal was alive and well. 

"Well, you were very brave," Neal insisted more seriously. "Peter, do you understand what was going on between my father and Terrence Pratt? Did one of them kill Ellen?"

Peter hesitated, "Well, Neal, I don't think we know for sure yet. David Siegel wants to talk to you about what you remember. Do you feel up to it?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to him and maybe he can explain more about what happened. He has James Bennett in jail, doesn't he?" Neal asked apprehensively.

Peter replied reassuringly, "Yes, he can't hurt you now, Neal."

"He said he wanted to talk to me." Neal considered, "I'm not sure how I feel about that. I never knew him. I only have a couple of memories of him when I was very young. He's an ex-con and he might have hurt Ellen."

Peter suggested, "Maybe I could be there when you talk with him. Would that help?"

"Oh yes. I think it would," Neal concurred. "But what will we talk about? He's not going to tell me anything he won't tell the FBI."

"Why don't you talk with Agent Siegel first? Then you can decide. I lmagine you are curious what he is like," Peter commented. He got out his phone and called the Agent to set up an appointment with him at his office. Then he called Dr. Hughes to explain that he would be away from the hospital for a little while.

Neal called his instructor Ms. Berrigan, who had missed all the excitement the day before. She chuckled, "I heard you had quite a day, Neal. You are certainly not typical of my students."

Neal worried, "I'll be glad to make up the time. This is just something I have to do. I'll even write a paper about unnecessary surgery if you want me to."

"Sure, you can present it to the other students at clinical conference," Diana consented. "That would be educational for all of us."

When they got to the FBI office, Agent Siegel informed them that James Bennett had already been released from custody. The FBI agents had been convinced that Senator Pratt was the one who was desperate to get Ellen's evidence. They believed that Pratt and his men were responsible for kidnapping and beating Ellen, and also for clubbing Neal over the head when he tried to enter Pratt's hospital room. 

It seemed likely that Bennett had merely been angrily confronting Pratt when they burst into the room and found them together. They had no reason to suspect him of anything else. Neal asked anxiously, "Did he say where he was going? Will he be back at work at the hospital again?"

David replied kindly, "I really don't think so, Neal. He was planning to leave town. He asked me to tell you goodbye."

When they left the FBI to return to the hospital, Neal was subdued. Peter asked, "Are you upset that you are not going to get know your father."

"A little sad and a little relieved," Neal admitted. "I just want my life to go back to normal now."

"When was that ever the case?" teased Peter. "There is nothing ordinary about you, Neal."

Neal blushed and grinned, "Thank you, Peter. I choose to believe you mean that as a compliment!"

Peter laughed merrily, ruffling Neal's hair playfully, "Of course I do. And don't worry, I'll always be around to get you out of trouble."

Neal looked at him ardently and asked seriously, "Do you really mean that, Peter?"

"Of course I do!" Peter assured him confidently. "I take good care of the people I love."

"And there's nobody you love more than me, is there?" Neal teased.

Peter stopped and looked into his beautiful eyes. The black framed glasses almost hid the bruise, but Peter lightly traced his fingers over it. He kissed Neal lightly and swore, "I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _(Student nurse Neal and resident doctor Peter continue their adventures on the Oncology floor in the next story in the series when a deadly infection sweeps through the hospital.)_

**Author's Note:**

> _The White Collar characters were originally developed by Jeff Eastin for the series on USA TV._


End file.
